Good Boy
by mskathy
Summary: Single VetBella meets divorced architect dad Edward in an unnamed big box pet store. After a steamy night together, they're left to figure out their feelings and how to mesh two very different lives. AU/AH,lemons,grown up themes,adult!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Thanks so much to The Usual Suspects (siouxchef, 4theluvofmary, algonquinrt, adorablecullens & tara), who always help me down from the ledge when I'm ready to give up on something. And to Nina, for giving me the chance to post this Smut Monday, which I greatly appreciate.**

**All copyright and trademarked items mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. The remaining content is all mine. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization.**

**BPOV**

I could hardly believe my luck; not only did the cute little hottie I had been flirting with for months at my local coffee joint pay for my press and bagel that morning, but my schedule for the day was packed. More than anything, I liked the busy days. Slow days just meant being bored and thinking about life a little too much.

My life was good, mind you, I just preferred to spend my time keeping busy instead of dwelling on the fact that I was a 32-year-old single lady with no prospects in sight. I guess I'd need to rethink that, what with Barista Boy hot on my heels. That wasn't exactly realistic though; he couldn't have been more than 25, and what would I do with a 25-year-old?

_Oh, the things I could do with a 25-year-old._

"Doctor Swan?"

_Just as well, no need to let that fantasy go too far in my head._

"Yes, Angela?"

My office in the back of the veterinary area had a door, but I rarely closed it. I only popped back there to check my email or make chart notes and do research. _And goof off on Twitter._

"Your next appointment is ready."

And so the day went. I saw cats, dogs, lizards, and birds – this was a chain pet store, after all. I had lunch with Angela and was looking forward to a hot bath, a glass of scotch, and trash TV once I got home.

My last dog of the day was older and I wanted to recommend a special pet food, so I brought the owner out onto the store floor and showed her all the different options.

That was when I first spotted him.

He was somehow being led around the whole store by a small puppy, no more than six months old. A beautiful pup that looked to be a West Highland White Terrier on a brown leather leash. I giggled as I saw them, the dog's nails sliding across the floor in excitement and the tall drink of water being tugged behind him. He was rather well dressed for the pet store in his slacks, button-up dress shirt and tie, but maybe he was just coming from work.

"Doctor Bella? Dear? Hello?"

I felt a nudge and realized I was staring at said tall drink. I turned back to Mrs. Cope and finished telling her about the food for Mitzy.

"You should go introduce yourself, y'know. Ya aren't gettin' any younger," she said, wandering off. From any other patient it would have been an insult, but I loved Mrs. Cope and her near farm-level quantity of pets like a second mom.

She was right, though. I felt every day of my age and although I took good care of my body, there were _some parts_ that had been woefully neglected lately. Those were the parts ruling my thoughts as I began to slowly walk toward the handsome man with the puppy.

The cute little pup turned and caught my eye as I got closer, tugging its owner in my general direction. I bent down and pet behind its ears.

"Who's a good boy?"

I heard a chuckle and looked up, catching a glimpse of the left hand holding the leash on my way. _No ring shining back at me._

"What a beautiful Westie. Boy, right?" I smiled at him, hoping he wouldn't be one of those anal-retentive suit-wearing types that would be annoyed I was touching his precious pup.

"Yes, and thank you." He smiled back and I almost fell right on my ass at the warmth that radiated from his gaze. He had beautiful but tired bright green eyes.

He blushed and I looked back down at the dog who was nipping at my hands as I played with him.

"He's a feisty one." I ruffled the dog's fur a bit and he played back with me, enjoying the attention.

"Do you need help finding anything?" I tilted my head toward the dog toy aisle he had been browsing.

"I don't know, really." He shifted his weight and looked nervous. "I just got this damn dog, to be honest. I mean, like I _just_ picked him up for my kids." He turned back to the aisle, running his finger along different toys.

I pointed him to a few options and explained the different benefits of them.

"How old are your children?" I was trying not to relay the whole of my disappointment, but even I could hear it seeping into my voice.

"Oh, six and eight."

His hand brushed mine as he took the toy I was holding and I cursed my terrible luck. I looked up and he was giving me sort of a half-smirk. I decided to distract myself, so I bent to talk to the dog and soak up the cute while I could.

"Little guy, which toy do you want to take home?" I fluffed his fur again and he resumed his playful antics with me.

"He seems to be having a great time with you."

It was my turn to laugh; did this guy really just imply that I was the toy the dog liked the most?

"Wives don't tend to take kindly to strange women coming home with their husbands, you know. Even if it is all for the sake of keeping the dog entertained." I couldn't help it; I winked at him at the end of my sentence.

"God, no, I'm not married." He shook his head as he spoke, eyes going wide. "Well, not anymore at least." _Shit, Bella, now you made the hottie sad._

My eyebrows raised up in question.

"Divorced," he sighed. "She left me for another man. I thought Jake could help me with the kids. They always wanted a dog and she never let them have one; said they made too much of a mess. Now that I get them on weekends and once during the week, I thought it would be fun to have him around."

"Jake? Who names a dog Jake?" I looked at the Westie's face, "Are you a Jake?" My voice went into the baby talk I hated so much in others and I immediately chastised myself. _You're in your thirties, and it's a dog, not a baby._

Jake rolled over, letting me pet his belly in slow strokes, and I kept my mindless babbling up for a few minutes. I even picked him up and cradled him in my arms. His mood had shifted from playful to complacent and docile.

"My son saw a photograph of him before I picked him up and wanted to name him after the American Dragon."

Complete and utter non-recognition crossed my face.

"The what?"

"Jake Long, American Dragon?" He paused, waiting for me to get it. "It's a cartoon. Do you have any children?"

My near hysterical laughter was enough of an answer for him, I suppose. Of course, I also startled the dog in my arms and he started to squirm. I set him down and turned again to Sad, Sleepy Hottie, who seemed to be staring. At me. _Me_? Yep, me. Wait, is he looking at my chest? I looked down. Oh, right. He's reading my name on my jacket. Crap, _right_, he's looking at me in a boring white jacket, hair up and probably looking ridic right about now, no makeup. I sighed.

"Doctor Swan, is it?" he asked, inclining his head toward my chest. "Are we keeping you from something important?"

"Bella, just Bella," I said, smiling. "And, nope, I finished with my last patient, actually. I'll let you get back to your toys, though." I looked down and shuffled my feet for a moment before bending to pet Jake goodbye.

"Bella?" His voice was hesitant, and perhaps … nervous again? I looked up at him and the color had slightly drained from his face. Who knew asking about dog toys was so stressful.

"Would you like to go to dinner with me? I mean, I know I'm a total stranger, and I'm obviously completely incompetent with this poor dog, and he clearly loves you already. How'd you even do that?" He shook his head and I stood back up.

"Seriously?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah. I mean, won't you take pity on me, poor clueless pet owner?"

This time his smile was broad and crooked and I'm pretty sure I actually swooned. Once rational thought was possible again, I laughed. How awkward; here I was wrapping up a boring day and being hit on in the toy aisle of the place I worked by a drop dead gorgeous divorcé.

_Thank you, God._

"I don't even know your name. Hell, I know your dog's name already, but I can't exactly tell my friends to come looking for 'Jake's owner' if I don't show up back home in one piece," I teased.

"Edward," he said. "Edward Cullen. I'm a highly respected architect at Cullen Inc. and I'd be more than happy to provide a list of personal references, should you require such before allowing me to take you out."

"I-I don't think I require any _references_, Edward. I've heard of your firm, actually."

What an understatement. Everyone had heard of Cullen Inc., and I was guessing from the last name that he was one of the three wünder sons of Carlisle Cullen, a very well-known architect in the area.

He seemed genuinely surprised. "You have?" I nodded and left it at that.

"Well, then. Certainly a Cullen son wouldn't do anything to sully the family name, right?"

The sexy smirk was back, and this time it danced across his face with delight.

"Okay. Only because I feel bad for Jake, though," I teased. "Such a good puppy deserves a properly trained owner."

"Already talking about training me? It took my ex at least a full twelve months to fess up to that." He laughed and I was glad that he could be good natured about his divorce.

We worked out the details and I agreed to meet him at a fancy sushi restaurant at eight o'clock. I drove home, talking to Alice on my cell the entire way, and frantically tore through my closet. I settled on a beautiful but simple black silk sleeveless wrap dress with a low-cut neckline. I got out some of my prettiest lingerie to wear underneath, being a firm believer in sexy undergarments. The black lace panties, bra, and garter were laid out on the bed, along with my stockings and a few nice pieces of jewelry, ready to go after my shower.

The closer I got to the restaurant, the more nervous I became. I tried to reassure myself that this was just a silly, fun, impromptu date with a handsome guy. Still, I couldn't help but wonder what the fuck I was thinking, agreeing to go out with a complete stranger.

I valeted my car and walked in. Edward was standing at the hostess station with a single red rose and smiled when he saw me. He'd dressed up from earlier, adding a jacket and tie. The formality of it was shocking initially, and then I was glad; he took the time to dress a little nicer, knowing he was taking me out. Most guys would have been happy to go home, change into jeans, and order pizza. I knew this firsthand from the various and sundry first dates I'd been subjected to over the years, mostly thanks to Mrs. Cope and her friends with unmarried sons.

As I reached Edward, he held the rose out for me. I took it in one hand and he gathered my other hand in his as he bent to kiss my cheek. His lips were soft and smooth against my skin and I felt him take a deep breath while he was there, which frankly both excited and creeped me out just the tiniest bit.

"You look stunning. And, my God, you smell… delicious."

My hand was still in his as we were led to a small table off to the side of the main dining area.

"Enjoy your dinner, Mr. Cullen," the hostess said, her gaze lingering just a bit too long for my comfort. Yeah, I was already getting a little prematurely possessive.

"Come here often?" I asked, laughing. He let go of my hand and pulled my chair out for me. Once I was seated, he took his place in the chair next to me.

"I do, actually. Great place for business lunches."

"Well, I'll just let you order then, okay?" I smiled at him and his gaze put me at ease. I was feeling bold, so I put my hand on his knee as I spoke. He didn't flinch or move away, as if what I'd done was the most natural thing in the world.

He ordered a wide variety of things and we slowly ate, feeding each other delicious pieces of sushi and stuffing our own faces in between. We laughed and talked about our lives. I learned so much about Edward and his kids in just that short time and felt like I had shared my whole life story with him as well.

The flirting? The flirting was out of control through the whole dinner.

When he told me that his ex-wife confessed on her way out the door that he was still the best kisser she'd ever been with, it seemed almost like a challenge.

"Prove it."

My hand was in his and I gave a little squeeze. We were almost done with dinner and I had no desire to leave this man's company, so I was maybe a little desperate to prolong our time together.

A single heartbeat passed before he leaned forward and cupped the side of my face with his hand. His fingers carefully wove through my hair, coming to a rest at the back of my neck. With gentle pressure, he pulled and I complied, moving my lips closer to his. His lips swept softly across mine, tentatively, as our eyes met. The next pass he made was delightfully more, teasing and plucking my lips with his. In between kisses, I felt him sigh against my lips and I couldn't help but smile. She was right, he was hands down the best kisser I had ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

At this small movement of encouragement, he teased my lower lip with the flat of his tongue. When he had softly trailed it from one side to the other, he moved it back into his mouth and deepened our kiss; we were almost at inappropriate-for-public levels and I moaned against him, my eyes closing. I could feel his hand on my leg and as the pressure and intensity of the kiss increased, his fingertips moved just slightly underneath the hem of my dress. His hand turned to the inner part of my thigh and he groaned when his fingers grazed the top of my stocking.

He slowly stopped kissing me and pulled back to catch his breath. I was ready to go without air for the rest of my life if he would just keep kissing me, but I suppose one of us had to be practical.

I brought my free hand up to my lips and traced both plump lines with my fingertips as I stared at him, looking slightly smug with a half-smile on his face.

"Christ," I muttered softly, causing him to laugh.

"You agree with her, I take it?" His crooked grin was back and I wanted to kiss it off him. Okay, I just wanted any excuse to get those lips back on mine. Or, really, anywhere he wanted them to be. _Everywhere_ he wanted them to be.

"I'm not sure I'm convinced yet. I mean, I'm no slut, but I've kissed a few boys. Best kisser ever? I dunno." I was sure he could see right through me, but he played along, laughing. A little smirk drew up on his lips.

"I'd be glad to do more... convincing. Perhaps we could do it at my place? I think Jake will probably need to be let out by now." He looked at his watch. "I can hardly believe it's already been almost three hours." He sighed.

_Three hours?_ Christ, even my best date didn't come close to that – and that included making out at the door!

"You're probably right. I'd love to see that cute puppy face again, too."

He paid the bill and I followed him to his house, once again calling Alice. I wanted to make sure she was on the phone with me as I drove so she could write down the subdivision we entered, then the house number and street name when I saw him pull into a winding driveway. I hadn't even realized where we were until Alice spazzed over the phone about the area. _Right. Cullen money, Cullen, Inc., he probably custom built this place._

Edward parked in the garage and I took a spot in the circular driveway that would be easy to leave from. He got out of his car quickly and held out a hand for me as I stepped out of mine.

"Edward, I..." I motioned to the house, which was really more of a mansion.

He just shrugged and squeezed my hand, leading me into the house through the garage. I was amazed at the detail and time that had been put into the decoration and furnishings as I walked behind him, appreciating it all for a moment. In the mudroom, he took his jacket off and hung it up, then loosened his tie.

Once we were in the kitchen, Edward reached into a high cabinet and got a bottle of wine out. "Would you like a glass?"

I nodded and sat at the island in the middle of the room. He set the bottle in front of me, opening it carefully with a funny kind of corkscrew I'd never seen before. After he poured it into a glass decanter, he sat next to me, one hand on my knee again.

"Just needs to breathe for a minute," he explained, motioning to the burgundy liquid. I nodded and smiled.

As he leaned in, eyes half-closed and entirely filled with lust, Jake whimpered loudly. We laughed, breaking apart, and I followed him to another room where Jake was in a crate. Edward grabbed his leash, opened the door, then connected the leash to the collar and led us outside. His backyard was easily the size of my entire house, with a playset, a pool with an attached in-ground spa, and several things I couldn't identify in the darkness.

Jake was let off his leash to go explore and have free time and I asked Edward more about the house. He explained that he built it as his dream house for his family. When his wife left, she couldn't see herself living there, even though it was more suitable for life with kids than her current arrangement was. He confessed that it was lonely living there without them and I tried to imagine what it must feel like to build a family with someone and then, through no fault of your own, have it all taken away. I suspected there was more about his ex that he wasn't telling me, but decided to let it go. It was only a first date, after all.

"I'll be right back," he said, before he turned and wandered off.

There I was, standing in the dark, in a strange man's backyard on enough property that made it questionable if anyone would even hear my screams, should I need them to. My heart started to beat faster and I got nervous. Where did he go? I wondered if Edward abandoning me was some sort of evil Karmic payback for the time I texted Alice and begged her to call me with an 'emergency' to get out of a bad date easily. Did he have a shed we passed, where he hid giant, sharp tools?

Just as the bile was beginning to rise in my throat and the panic had genuinely set in, the backyard lit up and I had a complete view of the space. There was beautifully cared for landscaping all around, a gazebo with a bench in the center, a patio table and a barbecue near it. My eyes swept up and I saw a balcony off an upstairs room.

Music filtered through the air and I spotted Edward, standing in the gazebo. "Dance with me," he said. I walked over and he slipped one hand around my waist, lacing his fingers between mine in his other hand. We moved together slowly in the warm summer night and I had butterflies for an entirely different reason than just a few minutes ago.

The hand that had been tangled with mine slipped out from between my fingers as I rested my head on his shoulder. Edward trailed his long fingers down my arm and to my waist, where it joined his other hand resting on my lower back. He pulled me closer to him and placed soft kisses on the side of my neck as we swayed. I brought my hands up around his neck and my breathing picked up in response to his hands moving up my back. Edward's lips moved against my skin, slaughtered lyrics to the song that was playing, as my fingers played with the hairs at the base of his neck.

I moved my head so we could kiss again. My fingers gripped his hair involuntarily as he gently slipped his tongue between my lips. He was working his magic again, making me weak-kneed and in serious danger of letting my heart get ahead of my brain. I was ready to attack and throw him on the very well manicured lawn when the music ended. We had long ago stopped moving, but the lack of the ambient background noise brought us both slightly back to reality. Did I really want my first time with Edward to be on the lawn?

"Let's get Jake and go inside?" I whispered.

He took a step back and called for Jake as I made my way inside, both of them trailing quickly after me. Edward surprised me by walking up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist again, pressing his body into mine. His hands moved up and cupped my breasts, teasing my nipples to an even harder state than they were already in. I leaned back against him and felt him straining in his slacks, my hands moving behind me to run up and down whatever surface of his body I could reach.

Edward pressed harder against me and I squeaked as I realized he was trying to lead me somewhere. My feet moved under his guidance and we wove through hallways and up stairs to a closed door. I stopped, knowing this was my point of no return. Edward's arm came out beside me and turned the fancy scroll lever handle, opening the door for me.

His lips came back to my neck as he nudged me into the room and I didn't even have time to really look around before I was at the edge of the bed. Edward turned me around to face him and pulled one side of my dress down, revealing my black lacy bra. He let out a strained groan as he lowered his mouth to my nipple, standing proud and at attention. His teeth came out to play first, teasing me and nipping all around, never quite where I wanted them to. I whimpered and he looked up at me.

There was a look of lust on his face as he darted his tongue out and swiped across the lace-covered peak. I let my head fall back and he chuckled as he undid the tie at the waist of my dress, pushing both halves to the sides. He hummed in appreciation and touched me where he could reach. I shrugged out of my dress and finished undoing his tie, pulling it over his head and throwing it to the side before stepping out of my shoes. My hands were frantically undoing the buttons of his shirt as he continued to run his along my bare skin, placing kisses randomly.

"Mmm, Bella?" he muttered against my collarbone. One of his hands had slid down to the waistband of my panties and was gently sweeping back and forth against the skin beneath. I had his shirt completely unbuttoned and was in the process of untucking it.

"Hmm?"

His voice was soft as a whisper, right at my earlobe. "Are you okay?" When he was done speaking, he swept his tongue just beneath where he'd been and sucked lightly. I cried out softly and then laughed at my own response. He pulled his hand from my abdomen and his shirt fell to the floor behind him.

Oh, right. He was waiting for a response. "Okay. Mmm, yes, I'm okay."

I sucked in a sharp breath as his hand slipped all the way into my panties and grazed my lips.

"Still okay?"

My breathing picked up and I had to really fight to get the words out.

"Yes," I whispered.

My eyes were trained directly on his pants, fumbling with the belt, buckle, and zipper, and yeah, my fingers were sometimes _accidentally on purpose_ splayed out toward his erection, brushing across it lightly. Edward's fingers slipped between my lips and pushed forward gently, slowly burying themselves. His mouth was on mine again, and began a slow and steady kiss to match the pace of his fingers inside of me.

The squeaking and moaning was not something I could have stopped from coming out of my mouth even if I had wanted to. The way Edward was dragging his fingers from inside of me and then sliding them back in, slow and teasing, wasn't something I had ever experienced before. I could no longer focus on removing his pants, my brain too caught up in his actions.

"Do you like that?"

"Yes," I said, drawing out the 's.'

My legs began to wobble but I came to my senses when Edward's fingers left my body and I watched him wrestling to get his pants off. I giggled a little at the sight of him, grown man who was just doing deliciously evil things to my body, now stumbling around and nearly tripping over his pants.

"You think this is funny?"

I bit my lip, unsure if he was serious or teasing me. He was toeing off a shoe, pants a twisted mess at his ankles.

"Maybe." I held my lip to prevent my smile from going too far.

His other shoe was finally off and his pants were discarded as he stood there in just his boxers. He looked down at me through his lashes, although I swore I saw a smile flash across his face before he began to stalk toward me. Once he reached the spot he'd been at in front of me, he gripped my hips and lifted me to the bed, pushing me back slightly so that I wasn't falling off the end.

"I'll show you funny," he mumbled against my breast as his hands began to tickle me. He started on my sides, vicious, hard tickles that made me laugh insanely loud. Soon he was tickling all over, the back of my knees, then back up to my sides and elbows. His lips caught my nipple and he sucked it between his teeth, hands never letting up on the tickles. I was laughing, moaning, and begging him to stop and continue all at the same time.

He trailed kisses down the center of my body and I squirmed from his hands gently running along my sides. Edward stuck his tongue out to lick and swipe at my skin now and then, teeth nipping and dragging.

When he reached the top of my panties, his tongue dipped underneath and licked from one side of the small fabric triangle to the other. I lifted my hips for a moment and felt his laughter vibrate through his chest where he was resting next to my legs. He looked up and moved one hand to the band of the lace, bringing them down to give him better access, and his other hand went to my breast. My back arched into his touch and he lowered his mouth to me, swiping his tongue through my wetness.

Edward moaned into me and I flexed my hips up again, needing him to be as close as possible as his tongue began to work my flesh. He moved his mouth away momentarily, requesting that I remove my bra, and I was only too happy to comply. Once his hand had unhindered access to my breast, he began to tease and pinch my nipple between his fingers, tongue flat against my clit and moving back and forth just as slowly as his fingers had worked me before.

My eyes were closed, head tilted back as he continued to lap at me, his fingers dipping inside again. It had been too long since I'd been loved this way, this well, and I let out a scream as I felt my orgasm begin. One of my hands flew away from the sheets I'd been clinging to, and onto the back of his head. I grabbed his hair and held him in place, desperate for him to not move away until I was finished. He moaned again and I felt his fingers still their thrusting and begin to stroke my g-spot, quickly coaxing another orgasm from me.

As I caught my breath and loosened my fingers in his hair, Edward withdrew his fingers and mouth from my lady bits. He unclipped my garters and slid my panties and stockings off, dropping kisses all over on the way back up my body. His body moved against mine, and I felt just how hard he was; I was nearly giddy with anticipation.

"That was... so incredibly fucking hot," he said, once he was level with my face again. He looked like a kid in a candy store, eyes wide and sparkling with glee, mile-wide smile on his beautiful face.

_Huh._

"I think I'm ready to agree that you're the best kisser." I giggled and moved his mouth to mine. He tasted of me, but I couldn't bring myself to care at that moment; the man had just given me two mind blowing orgasms back-to-back.

"Well, I hope that doesn't mean you're done with me already," he said, mock pouting. At least, I hoped it was a mock pout and not a real one. He couldn't seriously think I was done already, could he?

"Oh, not nearly finished." I ran my nails down his chest and grabbed his thick, hard cock in my hand, giving it a not-so-gentle squeeze. "Roll over, baby."

Edward complied happily, Cheshire Cat grin plastered back on his face. I kissed and teased down his chest, licking and biting at each of his cute little nipples on my way down. When I got to his waist, I grabbed the band of his boxers and pulled them down, allowing him to kick them off into who-the-fuck-cares where.

"Condom?" I asked. He leaned over to his side table and got the infamous blue square out, handing it to me. I unwrapped and rolled it down onto him. I moved my eyes back to his as I brought myself above him and then slowly sank down onto him.

His hands came to my hips, guiding my movements, and then slid up my back, pulling my upper body down to his. He leaned up to bring his lips to mine, too eager to wait for me to reach him, and his hands slid over my ass. With each thrust up, his hands pressed and held me to him.

"Fuck," he panted, my forehead against his as I tried to move faster.

"Please," I begged. I wanted and needed him to go faster, finished with the sweet softness we'd been engaged in. I needed him; all of him. I constricted my pelvic muscles around him, hoping to spur him on.

"Bella," he said, his voice strained.

"Oh, Edward," I moaned, doing my best to be as sexy as possible. I was shamelessly rubbing my breasts against his chest as I sucked his earlobe into my mouth.

It was apparently the last motivation he required. His hands moved to my shoulders as he gently moved me up into a sitting position. Once I was upright, he pushed me back just slightly further and started to hit straight on a very different spot inside of me. I shifted my hands to his thighs to steady myself and as he thrust up into me, and his hand went to the spot between us and began to work my clit. He was keeping a fast pace and I was suddenly grateful he owned plenty of property around him; this wasn't quiet or soft making love.

I let out a loud scream as I came for the third time. Edward groaned and mumbled incoherently, his movements stilling as I guessed he was rolling through his own orgasm.

My hands slid up his legs and across his chest, coming to rest at the base of his neck again, each of us catching our breath as we lay there together. We were wrapped up in each other and as close as we could get. For a minute, I panicked about what might happen later, tomorrow, next week… and then I simply reminded myself to live in the moment.

Edward's hands were on my hips again, gently lifting me off him as he dealt with the condom. I wasn't sure what all of this between us meant, so I crawled under the covers and stayed on the other side of the bed, watching him. When he was finished, he slid under the blanket with me, pulling me close.

"Thank you," he whispered to me between sweet kisses. His hands were stroking my hair softly and my eyes closed. I wrapped my arm around his waist and nestled myself into his embrace again, content for the moment.

"For what?" I asked, trying to mask the yawn that escaped with my words.

"For tonight. For helping me with Jake. For helping me with me." His voice got softer toward the end of his words, and I moved to look him in the eye.

At the mention of his name, the puppy jumped onto the bed and attempted to burrow between us.

"No, no, Jake, this one is mine," Edward said, moving Jake down to the foot of the bed.

I laughed as he laid back down next to me and we fell asleep together, a tangled mess of limbs.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much to Squalloogal for buying these and generously gifting them to Ninapolitan, tby789, and LolaShoes. This was what Nina requested, and I hope I've done it justice here. More notes at the end!**

**Thank you to TwilightMundi, who helps with my idiotic late-night mistakes and makes me giggle. **

**All copyright and trademarked items mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. The remaining content is all mine. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization.**

**BPOV**

I wasn't quite sure what Edward meant when he thanked me for helping him with himself, but I let it go and drifted to sleep with him.

Thankful I'd driven myself to his house, when I woke up in the middle of the night, I got dressed and left. It wasn't that I didn't want to spend the entire night with him, but we both had jobs to get to in the morning and I knew I'd need a fresh change of clothes and a shower. As I crept out, I considered leaving a note, but couldn't find any paper or a pen and wasn't particularly in the mood to browse around in a strange house at somewhere between four and five in the morning.

Once home, I fell into bed after setting my alarm and slept comfortably for a few hours. Showering quickly, I thought back to Edward and wondered what might come of our night. Perhaps it was simply a great opportunity for two single people to scratch an itch they had.

Walking into the coffee shop, I spotted my Barista Boy and gave him my usual smile. The only difference that morning was the slight pang of guilt. Should I not be smiling at him anymore, I wondered.

I wasn't sure.

Edward had been a fantastic date, and I certainly wanted more, but I wasn't clear on what the rules were. He had kids, and I never wanted them. He had an ex-wife and I'd never dated someone longer than six months. He clearly made more money than I did, had been overall more successful in life, and had been through more life experiences. Could we ever make anything substantial work with such an imbalance in our lives?

Time wasn't on my side since I'd slept in, so after a few flirty exchanges with the handsome coffee slinger, I took my coffee to go and drove to work. Angela had my schedule for the day, and we were going to be predictably busy for a Friday.

Around eleven o'clock, Angela came beaming into my office. Between patients, I'd moved to my desk to make some notes and check my email. And Twitter. And maybe LOLCats. Except, Angela's head appeared wrapped around the door jamb before I could really begin the goofing off.

"And just what did you do last night to earn these?" she asked as she pulled a beautiful bouquet of stargazer lilies from behind her.

Certain I was blushing a deep shade of red, I put my head in my hands and laughed. Desperately hoping they were from Edward, I opened the card as Angela giggled and sat down next to me. Angela read the card aloud, peeking over my shoulder.

_To many more nights of stargazing together. Call me, please? Edward_

His telephone number was at the bottom, and though I wasn't sure I could call him, I was certain I could text.

_Thank you for the amazing flowers. Well, what will be amazing flowers once they open. -b_

Leaving my phone behind on my desk since I knew I'd be tempted to look at it every five seconds, I inhaled lunch and saw more patients.

"Bella, your phone is going nuts," Angela said, phone in hand. "Can you just make it stop chirping?"

Laughing, I grabbed it from her and nodded. "Sure, sure. Let me see what Mister Cullen has to say..."

_Not nearly as amazing as you, opened and beautiful. When can I see you again?_

Blushing at his words and implication, I giggled quietly. "Well, then..." I whispered, mostly to myself, as I flipped to the next message without responding to the first.

_Too much? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. _

Had it been too much? I was again unsure of protocol in this situation. I typed a quick reply.

_Not too much, just a busy day. I'm free tonight?_

I spent a few minutes worried about being too available, but I wasn't the kind of girl to play games. When I wanted to spend time with someone, I wanted to be with them, I didn't want to dance around it and waste time. Since Edward's schedule was limited by the time he spent with his kids, I wanted to be available when our schedules would allow it. We still had so much to get to know about each other.

Handing my phone back to Angela, I walked in to the next exam room and saw a few more animals. Ang reappeared a few minutes later, a wide grin on her face as she handed me my cell phone again.

_Can't do tonight, but God do I want to. Kids. Sunday night?_

Sunday night, was he kidding me? I needed to get ready for the work week and I had important things to do on Sunday night. Like paint my toes, and put on my mud mask.

Sure, they were small things, but I realized in that moment that these were the kinds of concessions I'd need to get used to. I could do those mundane tasks on Saturday, right? If I couldn't, there was no point in even seeing Edward again. If I wasn't prepared to put aside my normal expectations and ideas of a dating relationship, there was no point in wasting either of our time. Maybe I'd jumped in too fast. I barely knew the guy.

My emotions were all over the place, so I left his message unanswered and I saw my last few patients. Friday night, and I'd be without a date. Again. How was this any different than the week before? At least this Friday, I had the prospect of a date on Sunday. And, I could call him, right? Maybe? I decided to get an answer.

_I want to say yes, but can I call you tonight? Maybe once the kids are asleep?_

His reply came only moments later, a confirmation that he'd call when they were asleep and he was available. He mentioned that he had some work he needed to wrap up quickly, but didn't anticipate it would be too late.

As I drove home, I decided to call Alice.

"Hey baby, how was your day?" Her calm and smooth voice soothed me immediately. Alice and I had been friends for so long I'd lost count of the years.

"Really good," I said. I only slightly attempted to keep the smile out of my voice.

"Oh yeah? Maybe I should ask how your night was?"

"It was ah-mazing, Alice. Edward is..." I sighed. "Edward is really great. But he has kids, Ali. Am I the kind of woman that can date a guy with kids?"

Alice and I had spent countless nights in our twenties discussing kids and marriage and the meaning of life. She always knew she wanted a house full of kids, and I always knew I didn't want any.

"Of course you can, goober. Don't be silly. How old are they?"

Searching my brain for the information, I thought back to my conversation with Edward at the pet store.

"Six and eight, I think."

"Those are good ages. What happened with their mom? She still in the picture?"

"Yeah, he said he has them on weekends and sometime during the week. He asked to see me, but then said he couldn't get together until Sunday. Should that bother me?"

If anyone would be able to help me sort out my thoughts and feelings on this, it would be Alice. She knew me better than I knew myself, often.

"Well, Bee, you need to decide if he's worth it. If you think he might be, why not give it a go? I mean, you'll never really know how hard it is to manage things unless you try, right? You'll just build it up in your head as this terrible thing, and who knows? It might be easy."

"Yeah," I said, stuck deep in my thoughts.

She had a point; I'd never really know unless I tried. It wasn't like I was going to meet his kids that weekend. I knew enough divorced couples to know that I didn't really even _want_ to meet his kids until or unless things got serious between us.

When I got home, I made myself dinner and soaked in the tub. The bubbles, music, and bottle of red I'd brought with me helped and I was utterly relaxed, happy, and content when my phone chirped. Grateful he'd called then and not later (as I might have just fallen asleep when I got out of the tub), I answered quickly.

"Hey," I said, smiling even though he couldn't see.

"Bella? How are you?"

"Just a sec, actually. I need to climb out of the tub without killing myself. I'll be right back."

Setting the phone on the counter, I got out of the tub and dried off, then slipped on my comfy, fluffy robe. Picking the phone back up, I climbed under my cool sheets and snuggled into bed.

"Better. Still there?"

"I am," he said. "Bella, did you just say you were getting out of the tub?"

I laughed. "Yes, yes I did. I needed to unwind and relax after my long, hard day," I said, lowering my voice, hoping to tease him a bit.

"Are you..." He paused and took in a shallow breath. "Are you naked?"

"Well, that depends on what you think of as naked. I mean, we're all naked under our clothes, right?" Laughing, I went on. "I have a robe on, though, to answer your question."

He was adorable, his voice a half-whine, half-pout. "Fuck. I wish I was with you right now. I miss you."

"You don't even know me yet, you can't miss me. And, I wish I was with you, too."

"I do, though. I miss your smell, your taste, your smile, the way you fidget when you're nervous, and the way you let go with complete abandon and take what you need. _Fuck._"

His last word was a whisper, and I was surprised he was ready to confess those things to me. Pleasantly surprised. Maybe he wasn't like the other guys I'd dated, and maybe this would be different. I could hope.

As much as I wanted to continue on that line of conversation - who was I to turn down some good, old-fashioned phone sex, after all - it didn't feel right. Deciding to aim for a distraction, I asked a question I knew would take us off the dirty subjects and back to reality.

"How's Jake?"

"I don't want to talk about Jake right now," Edward whined.

"I know, but I just don't think it's a good idea to head down that path." I could almost see his plump lower lip sticking out in his best pouty face. "Yet," I added.

"All right. You're probably right that it's better not to." He exhaled loudly and I could hear the frustration behind it. "Jake's good. The kids adore him. He chewed up my favorite pair of slippers this morning."

"Aww. You need to get him some more toys, maybe."

"Maybe. I'll need to pay a visit to my new favorite store, I guess," he said.

"So, how long have you been divorced, Edward?"

My nerves had finally settled and it seemed like a good time to begin the serious portion of our conversation.

"A little over a year now," he said. "We agreed on almost everything and got the paperwork pushed through. There was no point in fighting her, you know? She wasn't in love with me and I wasn't in love with her either. I'm not sure I ever really was, if you want the truth."

Quiet settled over our phone lines, and I wasn't sure how to proceed. I heard the hesitation in his voice with his last answer, and wondered if maybe I'd crossed a line.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a painful topic."

"No, these are all topics that are on the table and up for discussion. You need to know all of these things about me. I want you to know them. The kids were still so little when we split, four and six. I worry all the time that I fucked them up forever."

Now we were at an area that I had a little experience in.

"You know, my parents broke up when I was just a baby. I spent most of my time with my mom, but then lived with my dad when I got a bit older. I don't think I'm too fucked up," I teased. "It was better, I think. I never had to deal with them fighting or hating each other. Do you guys fight?"

"No, not anymore. We used to, but now we just try to focus on the kids and what's best for them."

"And she's remarried?" I asked.

"Yeah. She and James got married a few months after our divorce was final."

"Do you think they'll have more kids?"

"Christ," he muttered. "I really hadn't thought about it. I have no idea. I hope not, though. Is that selfish of me?" He paused briefly. "Well, either way, I hope not. Victoria has her hands full with our kids."

"Do you want more kids?"

The line was so quiet and still again, and I panicked.

"I mean, I'm just curious. I know this isn't typical second-date conversation, but this isn't a typical second date," I said, trying to sound casual.

"No, I really don't. I don't think it would be fair to my kids to bring more into the picture. Do you want kids?" he asked.

A simple answer seemed like the best plan. "No."

"Well, that's good. At least we agree on that. Tell me, Bella, have you ever been married?"

Laughing, I shook my head, as if he could see me. "Nope. Never married, never close to married."

"Afraid of commitment?" he asked, his turn to tease.

"No, nothing like that. Just a lack of opportunity and the right guy," I explained.

"So what would this 'right guy' look like? I mean, on paper..."

"God, I can hear you grinning through the phone, you ass. I don't know. Someone kind, I suppose. Someone loving. Understanding, for sure. I make mistakes, and I need someone that understands that. Hmm, what else..." I thought about it and realized I was pretty low maintenance, with a few exceptions. "I need someone smart. I mean, I don't want to sound like a snob, but he has to be able to keep up with me."

Edward laughed loudly, and I worried for a moment he might've woken his kids, until I remembered how overwhelmingly large his house was.

"I can keep up, I'm sure of that."

"Oh, Mister Cullen, I'm sure you can, too."

A peaceful quiet rested between us and I realized I was getting sleepy.

"I gotta get my beauty sleep soon. I have a hot date on Sunday and I need to be well rested."

"All right, if I must let you go, I must. Can I text or call you tomorrow?" he asked.

"I'd really like that."

"One last thing, Bella." His voice was thick and sexy, and I settled into my pillow a little more. "I want you to know that I realize my life is full of complications. I'd never expect a woman like you to want to make endless compromises for me, but it sounds like you're willing to at least give it a try, and for that, I am truly grateful."

As I formed a reply in my head, I blushed and squirmed a bit.

"Well, we'll see how it goes. No promises."

"No promises," he repeated.

"Talk to you tomorrow," I said, yawning at the end.

"Sweet dreams," he whispered, a hint of longing in his voice.

"You too."

Hanging up, I set my phone down on the nightstand. After I plugged it in to charge, I rolled over and pulled the covers up, thinking about everything we'd talked about. It was a lot to take in, but at the same time, it wasn't like Edward told me he had cancer; he had kids, and we could work around that, right? Besides, I still only knew surface Edward. Who knew if I'd even want to stick around after a few more dates. I hardly had a great track record when it came to getting to know men.

After a great night of sleep, I woke up to the most adorable photo text of what I assumed were Edward's kids and Jake outside. They looked like they were probably in the backyard, as I was pretty sure I recognized a few pieces of furniture, and they were obviously having a blast.

We traded a few texts throughout the day, as I got my usual Sunday errands done, so that I could spend whatever part of the day Edward had free with him. I'd brought my flowers home from the office, trying to be patient for them to open. That night, when I'd scrubbed, been waxed, painted my nails, then put on a hair masque, I sat and wondered what our date would be like.

_Are you taking me out tomorrow? What time are we meeting, and where?_

Lying back on my bed, I thought about Edward and the planes of his body. The shape of his form, the timbre and cadence of his voice. Just as I was getting myself worked up, my phone buzzed with a text.

_I thought I'd cook and we could enjoy a casual Sunday night in. You could pack a bag and stay the night, unless that's too much too fast?_

Thinking about it, I realized that I really, really wanted to stay the night. I was an adult, he was an adult, why did we need to pretend and/or go at anyone else's pace but the one we were comfortable at?

_I'd love to. Plans sound good. I'll dress casually, then. What time?_

Walking to my closet, I thought about what I'd wear, and what I needed to pack for my overnighter. I didn't want to pack anything super fancy, or give Edward the impression that I was something that I wasn't; I was absolutely a low-maintenance kind of a girl. I liked to dress up now and then, just not every day.

Soon enough, I had my clothes and bathroom supplies packed, as well as a piece of lingerie and some comfy pajamas, just to be safe. I decided not to bring my laptop, but did pack a book I'd been reading.

_How about six? I drop the kids off at five, and that should give me enough time to get some groceries... _

It was already past dark, and as I read Edward's text, I was surprised by my phone ringing.

"Hello?" I answered, even though I knew who it was.

"Hey," he said. "Is it okay that I'm calling? I figured..."

"Yeah, it's fine." Inside, I was a giddy mess. "I'm glad you called. The kids looked like they were having a great time with Jake. He's a hit, I take it?"

"Yes, they love him so much already. I'm sure they're going to give their mother a hard time when they have to leave him here. So what can I make you for dinner tomorrow?"

His voice had lowered and I heard the rustling sound of fabric.

"Hmm, you cook? More than just mac and cheese and scrambled eggs?"

"I do," he said, shifting again. "The kids need to be able to eat a healthy meal, and I find that it helps my stress levels to get in the kitchen and cook. Girly, right?" He laughed at the end, and I could swear I detected a self-conscious tone to his voice.

"I think it's sexy. A man who knows his way around the kitchen and a woman's body? Mmm." Smiling, I laid back on my couch. "What do you love to cook, anything in particular?"

"I'm going to ignore the comment about your body before we dive into that topic and never make our way out again. I make a mean lasagna. Or we could grill burgers and veggies. Whatever you want, really."

"Burgers sound good; nothing too heavy. Can I bring dessert?"

Okay, I was intentionally teasing again. It was just too fun with Edward. He seemed to respond every time (though, granted, there hadn't been a ton yet), and he wasn't annoyed at my behavior, like some of the guys I'd dated. He played along with me, instead of discouraging me.

"You are dessert," he said.

I'm pretty sure my heart stopped.

When I could think again, I responded. "Oh, I thought we weren't going to dive into that topic..."

Edward mumbled something about diving in and I giggled, then walked to my bedroom and slid under the covers.

"It's almost bedtime, you know," I said.

"I know, but I'm not ready for you to go yet," he complained.

Yawning, I said, "Tell me a secret."

Edward hummed and I could hear him shifting around again.

"A secret?" he said, his voice low and light. "Let me see... I really love my life, especially lately. I mean, I worry about the kids like I said last night, but at the end of the day, I'm doing the best I can. I have great parents, a job I love, great kids, and this gorgeous woman who seems to want to spend time with me."

Blushing, I laughed. How was it that he always reduced me to a puddle of schoolgirl glee?

"Your turn," he said.

I thought for a moment. What secret could I share with Edward? Though so many people seemed to know me on the surface, very few took the time to get know everything underneath.

"I always wanted a brother or a sister," I whispered. "Growing up was so lonely, and my poor mom, she did her best to keep me busy and play with me, but it wasn't the same."

The quiet stretched out before us awkwardly, and I wondered if I'd over-shared. Just as I took a breath to apologize, Edward spoke again.

"God, that's … I'm sorry."

It wasn't the kind of glib comment he was just making to give me an apology; I could tell he meant it.

"I have Alice, she's like a sister to me. I'm lucky."

"You are. I had my two brothers, and although we get along great now, I spent plenty of days wishing I'd been an only child."

Laughing at the contrast in our childhoods, I wondered more about his life. I decided to be patient and ask him the next day at our date.

"I wish I was there to tuck you in," he said softly.

"Me too," I said, smiling. "Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," he agreed. "Good night, Bella."

"G'night, Edward."

Once again, I slept deep and heavy.

In the morning, I went to the gym and then the book store. Alice met me at our favorite bistro and we had lunch and coffee, gabbing well into the afternoon. Finally, when it was time to leave for Edward's, I locked up my place and drove over. I tried to obey the traffic laws, but the speeding ticket I'd have gotten would totally have been worth it, I decided.

Knocking softly, I smiled when I heard him shout that he'd answer the door in just a minute. When he finally opened the large, ornate obstacle separating us, I almost gasped. In contrast to the other night, all suit and tie and business sexy, this Edward was casual and comfortable. He smelled and looked like he'd just showered, but the ease with which he carried himself was palpable. Sure, he seemed nervous like I was, but his obvious happiness at seeing me overwhelmed that.

Edward was in shorts and a T-shirt, feet bare, beer bottle in hand. Seeing my bag, he quickly set the perspiring bottle on a table in the foyer and lifted the bag from my shoulder. When he was that close, I could smell him even better, and nearly swooned. Apparently he felt the same way as my bag was quickly (but gently) set on the ground and before I even had time to think about it, I was wrapped up in his arms.

The door closed behind me, and I was suddenly pinned against it. I expected Edward to go in for the quick kill – the typical searing kiss, quick grope, move on to the eating type of greeting I was used to with other guys. I should have known better.

My body was pliable beneath his, and although he did press up right against me, he didn't immediately kiss me. His hands slid up my body to frame my face, and his nose met mine, trailing down one side and up the other on my face. I swallowed in anticipation. His breath was warm and humid on my cheeks, lips soft and right in front of me. So close, yet so far. My breathing quickened and I desperately wanted him to throw me down right there on the marble floor.

The tips of his fingers scratched lightly at my scalp as he continued to torture me in the most delightful ways. When his lips had ghosted across my neck and up to the hollow beneath my ear, he started to press them to my skin. Soft, tentative, tender kisses grew harder as they reached my lips. When he finally kissed me, I momentarily forgot to respond.

His hands in my hair tightened and then left, moving back to stroke my cheekbones with his thumbs. A moment later, his kisses turned softer again, more chaste. Whimpering, I furrowed my eyebrows and finally brought my own hands up to his face, my pathetic attempt to keep him where he was.

"Dinner," he whispered against my lips.

I gave a strangled whine and left a few more sweet kisses before I let go. We walked hand-in-hand and I marveled at the professional-level kitchen he'd led me to. I hadn't gotten a good look around the other day.

"You want a beer, or some wine?"

"No, thanks," I replied.

"Zucchini okay?" he asked, inclining his head to the cutting board.

Nodding, I walked around to where he was mixing up the burgers. "Mmhmm, looks great." Standing behind him, I pressed my body against his. He let out a soft groan as my hands began to wander. Starting at the base of his neck, I kissed and nipped at his skin. As his hands moved to the bowl to stir together the ingredients, I felt his biceps flex and tighten against the soft cotton of his shirt.

My fingers wrapped around his shoulders and squeezed his arms as I pressed my body closer still. The dress I'd worn hadn't allowed for a bra, and my nipples tightened as he leaned back against me, seemingly intentionally brushing his body against my chest.

"Trying to distract me?" he asked. "Aren't you hungry?"

I hummed and laughed a bit. "Very," I replied. "Would you like me to leave you alone?"

"No, no. But I'm on my way to the grill in a second. Come with me?"

Quietly agreeing, I pulled my body away from his and we walked out to the backyard. Watching the burgers and vegetables grill, we sat at the patio table. Well, Edward sat at the table, I sat on his lap. It was his turn to tease me, his hands toying with the hem of my dress. I'd kicked my flip flops off in his entryway and was swinging my feet as we made out like teenagers, knowing we weren't going any further anytime soon. It had been so long since I'd just kissed someone just to kiss, and it was sheer pleasure as we waited for our food.

Soon, the warmth of the day and Edward's proximity were catching up, and I had to pull back a bit. As he got up to flip the burgers, I took his chair and we sat side-by-side while things finished up. When it was time to eat, we went back inside.

The entire time we dined, we flirted, kissed, laughed, and touched. It was playful and light, an ease and easiness to it unlike anything I'd experienced.

"I'm glad you're here," he said, his fingers playing with mine on the tabletop.

"Me too."

The sun had begun to set and the house was growing dark.

"Come on."

Edward stood and reached for my hand. As I slipped mine into his, he led me up the stairs again on the familiar path I knew led to his bedroom. He'd stopped and grabbed my bag on the way up, which I was grateful for.

When we were in the giant room again, he walked to the French doors and opened them. I saw the same balcony I'd seen from below, though now I could see there were two chaise lounge chairs, and a small table. A cool breeze floated by and I smiled.

"Do I have time to change?" I asked, my voice suddenly quiet and small. I'd stayed by the door to the room, closing it quietly behind me.

Turning to look at me, Edward gave me a smirk. Shaking his head no, he walked toward me. His smirk shifted to a predatory smile and my heartbeat picked up.

"Ready for dessert?" he asked.

I laughed, standing there awkwardly. Trying to take in all of the details of his room, I looked around, suddenly nervous. As he approached me, my eyes tilted closed.

His hands were in my hair again, then down to my bare shoulders. "You aren't wearing a bra, are you?" he asked, thumbs tracing over the thin fabric covering my breasts.

"No," I breathed.

Trailing his mouth down the same path his hands had just been, he kissed along my collarbone. Using the elastic of the dress top to his advantage, he pulled it down and exposed my breasts to his mouth. A quick tease later, he dropped to his knees and looked up at me. The vulnerability there, the questioning and desire, it was all immense.

As we locked gazes, he lifted the hem of my dress and brought his hands under the fabric. Carefully, he pulled my panties down, then moved his head beneath the fabric. My body tilted back, resting my weight against the bedroom door as he began to kiss and lick his way up my thigh.

Whimpering when he reached the top of my mound, my knees nearly buckled when I felt his mouth against my bare lips. Edward lifted one of my legs and slipped it over his shoulder, opening me to his actions even more, and loved me with the same enthusiasm as before.

The room was quiet but for our sounds and the noises of nature filtering into the room from the backyard. It was intense and erotic, the open door, the breeze wafting across our bodies, Edward beneath my skirt licking and sucking me, coaxing the orgasm from my body.

It took no time at all once his fingers joined his mouth, and I was pressing against the door to keep from collapsing as I came. Even as I recovered, his mouth still placing gentle kisses on and around my flesh, I wanted and needed more. Somehow, in his presence, I became wanton and greedy.

Pulling my dress over my head, I threw it off to the side and then tugged at Edward's ears, the only part of his body I could get a solid grip on. He laughed and lowered my leg off his shoulder, then stood. Once his hands were in mine, he pulled me to the bed and we fell together, laughing and kissing. Soon I had his clothes off, and he was hard and thick in my hand.

Unlike the previous time we'd been together, I needed to feel, touch, see, and taste him. We didn't have all night; both of us had to work in the morning, so I quickly rolled with him so he was on his back. As I straddled his waist, both of us naked, I licked my lips and bent to kiss him. His mouth was soft and slick with the taste of me, and I let out a little moan. His hands roamed down my back to my ass, and he lifted his hips as he pressed me down, making known exactly what he wanted.

Except it wasn't what I wanted, and it was my turn.

I slid down his body, peppering kisses along the way. When I got to his thick, yummy dick, I placed a gentle kiss at the tip. Edward tried to buck up into my mouth, but I kept my lips closed and in a grin. Carefully, I snaked my tongue out of my mouth and licked around the ridge at the head.

As I continued to work Edward's body into a frenzy, I realized the noises he was making were turning me on like never before. Typically, this was an act I participated in to pleasure a man and sort of … get it over with. Listening to his soft moans and sighs of encouragement, however, I realized I was squeezing my thighs together and, well, horny. My eyes flicked up Edward's body and I watched his mouth open and close, his tongue peeking out to wet his lips periodically. His eyes were closed and he was in absolute pleasure-filled bliss.

My name fell from his lips several times, and when his hands wound into my hair, I moaned around him. Taking pleasure in his pleasure was getting me worked up and I dropped a hand to my body. As I moved my mouth up and down his length, I trailed my fingers up and down between my lower lips. I imagined it was his cock, and moaned again.

"Bella, god, you are fucking amazing," he whispered. "But you have to stop. Please," he begged.

I simply moaned around him again; I wasn't ready to give up the intoxicating power I held over him at that moment. His hands gripped my hair tighter and he seemed to be waging a battle with himself over whether he truly wanted to stop me.

Suddenly, he sat up, taking away my fun.

Giving him the best pouty face I could, I considered crawling into his lap to finish the job, but he quickly pulled me onto him.

"How do you do that?"

I wasn't even sure how he could speak – his mouth was busy everywhere on my body, hands roaming, ramping me up to my orgasm again.

"Do what?" I panted.

"You have a fucking amazing mouth. More on this later. Right now, I need to be inside you."

Somehow, somewhere, he'd grabbed a condom and was opening it. I watched with rapt attention as he slid it down his length between us, then maneuvered me so that I was slowly sinking down onto him. His strong arms wrapped around me and his lips pressed to the side of my neck as he continued to talk, showering me with praise and affection as he pushed up inside me.

Anchoring my legs on either side of him, I rocked my hips against his. One of his hands scraped gently across my nipple and came to rest at my clit, using just the right pressure and speed to bring me quickly over the edge of my orgasm. As I came, I bit into his neck softly, my own attempt to muffle my noises, and then felt him still.

His grip on my body was tight, but morphed after a few minutes. Edward began to stroke and caress me, leaning back onto the bed and taking me with him. Our lips were still teasing and tasting; not to build to something more, just to maintain our connection.

Edward got off the bed to clean himself up and toss the condom away, so I took that moment to get into my pajamas. When he came back, we settled into bed together, wrapped up in each other. My thoughts were a haze of lust and worry as Edward pulled the duvet over us, our bodies warm with the cool night air breezing around in the room.

"I think that was the best date I've ever had," he said softly.

"Me too."

I burrowed deeper into his arms and expected sleep to come quickly, but Edward kept talking.

"She hardly ever did that, you know. How in the world did you get so good?"

"So good at what?" I mumbled against his bare chest, coarse hairs tickling my cheek.

"So good at …" He paused and bent to kiss me again. "I don't want to sound crass, but so good at giving blowjobs. She always hated it; said it was disgusting."

"Weren't you with other women before her?"

Surely he had been.

"No. We met in high school. She was my first and only girlfriend."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah." He chuckled, the vibrations shaking through my body. "Surprised?"

"A little," I confessed. "I imagined you were super popular and girls fought over you."

"Oh, they did. I just stuck to one. My parents and her parents were close friends and it made sense at the time. I guess I never realized how miserable I was."

I wanted more information, but I needed sleep. Sidelining my curiosities, I closed my eyes and hummed softly, trying to indicate that it wasn't talking time anymore. My fingertips played with Edward's chest hair and I tried not to get ahead of myself with worry about exes and children and subpar sexual experiences, of which I also had plenty.

We still had so much to learn about each other, but I fell into an easy slumber, pleased with how things had gone. I couldn't have asked for a better second date, and was already eager for our third.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N – Thank you to my beta, TwilightMundi. **

**Thanks to YOU, for being so patient with me.**

**I anticipate this story will update on Wednesdays. This week's update is late because the holiday threw me off. Sorry about that.**

**All copyright and trademarked items mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. The remaining content is all mine. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization.**

_We still had so much to learn about each other, but I fell into an easy slumber, pleased with how things had gone. I couldn't have asked for a better second date, and was already eager for our third. _

When my alarm went off, I stretched and looked over at the side of the bed Edward had fallen asleep on; it was empty. Suddenly, I realized the scent of breakfast foods and coffee were greeting me, and I was never one to turn down either of those things.

In the kitchen, Edward stood in boxers, humming and tending to bacon. I paused at the entryway for a moment, soaking in the sight of him, half-naked and cooking. Each flip of the near-crispy pork product made the muscles in his shoulders flex and bulge. My mouth watered.

Jake was on the floor by his feet, head tucked against his paws, and I smiled at the way the dog had bonded with him.

Placing a kiss between Edward's shoulder blades, I whispered, "Hello, handsome."

"Good morning," he said, looking back at me briefly. "I'm almost done here. I was going to bring you breakfast in bed, but you beat me to it."

"I'll walk downstairs for a meal cooked by you any day."

I rested my head against his back, then decided I needed coffee. He already had a mug on the side of the stove, so I poured myself some, then grabbed some milk and sugar before I took a seat at the breakfast bar.

"Need any help?" I asked, belatedly.

"Nope," he said. "It's all under control. I'm actually finished."

Edward brought a huge platter out from the oven and set it in front of me. On one end, there was the freshly cooked bacon, then eggs, and pancakes.

"I can make fruit salad, if you want," he offered, turning toward the fridge.

"No way," I said. "Just come over here and eat with me. You cooked enough for a small city."

After freshening his coffee, he walked around to where I was and took the seat beside me. The quiet wasn't awkward, but it also wasn't entirely comfortable yet.

"What time do you have to be at work?" he asked, looking over at me with a hopeful expression.

"My first patient is usually at nine."

He had a bead of syrup at the corner of his mouth and I reached out instinctively to swipe at it. Before I could clean my finger on a napkin, Edward pulled my hand to his lips, licking then sucking my finger between them. His eyes closed as he used his tongue to gently swirl around my finger, getting all the syrup.

_Fuck._

"How about you?" I asked, trying to mask my desire. Failing in spectacular fashion, but trying. My fingers tingled once he let them go.

"I'm late," he said, sipping his coffee.

"Shit! You are? What time were you supposed to be there?" I began to shove bites into my mouth, rushing to get out of his hair. "I didn't mean to hold you up," I mumbled around pancakes.

Edward smiled. "Stop, you're going to choke." His fingers stroked down my neck. "I don't think anyone is going to fire me for being late one day."

As Edward's fingers lingered on my skin, his eyes stayed connected with mine. "How about you?" he asked. "Can you be late one day?"

I really, really could.

xx

We forgot about breakfast, but on my way out, I grabbed a few cold slices of bacon to tide me over until lunch. At my car door, I straightened Edward's tie and he kissed me goodbye.

"Call you tonight?" I asked.

"Let's have dinner. Seven o'clock?"

"No kids tonight?"

"Nope. Wednesdays, usually."

"It's a date."

I gave him one last kiss and backed away. He opened my door and closed it behind me, smiling at me the whole time. Once I was off his street, I glanced at the clock and gunned it. I'd _never_ missed appointments before, not even when I was sick. I'd texted Angela to let her know and she assured me she'd reschedule everything and it was fine, but guilt tugged at me. I pulled through and grabbed a latte for each of us on my way to the office, needing the caffeine.

"You're the absolute best," I said as I handed Angela the hot coffee and rushed by her.

"You have patients in every room. Hope your morning off was worth it."

I turned to look at her. "It totally was."

On her way by as she walked to the front desk, she gave me a high-five. We burst into giggles, and the day flowed in a similar way. By closing time, I'd traded several flirty text messages with Edward. He was busy at work, but seemed to have more downtime than I did between patients.

While I drove home, I wondered what we might have for dinner. And dessert. After the world's fastest shower, I made my way over to his house.

"Come in," he said, greeting me. "You're all wet and sexy."

"You're not so bad yourself," I said, leaning in to kiss him on my way inside.

Jake barked and jumped up on my legs, demanding attention. "Hey, little guy."

"I was thinking we'd eat in the backyard." His hand reached out for mine.

"Sounds perfect."

We grabbed everything we needed and made our way outside. We sat at the picnic table, feeding each other bites.

"So, what was your day like?"

I sipped from my wine glass and tilted my head. "It started out fucking spectacular."

"That it did," Edward interrupted.

A few beats passed, both of us mentally recalling our extended morning together. The soft sighs and moans. Fingers, mouths, him above me, sweet and soft, but hard in the right ways.

"Some days I'm pretty busy with patients. Today was a busy day with the reschedules and such. We get slow days, though. How about you?"

He sighed and rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. "It's a lot of bullshit. Work without meaning. Meetings that are useless and meant to make managers feel better."

"That must be frustrating."

Edward nodded and after a few more bites, I noticed the sun had set. He got up and lit the candles on the table, then turned the patio lights and music on. When he was back in front of me, he laid a blanket out on the lawn.

Extending his hand, he smiled. "Come on, let's watch the stars."

The earth beneath us was warm from the day, and I laid right next to Edward, our hands still entwined.

"Do you see that?" he asked, pointing up into the vast darkness. "The big dipper."

I tried to find it; I knew I'd seen it a few times on camping trips with Charlie when I was a kid, but for the life of me, I couldn't see it. Edward moved closer, resting my head on his shoulder, and pointed again.

"Right there, you can see the four stars that connect, and the handle?"

I could barely think of my own name with him that close. Closing my eyes, I shook my head. "Sorry," I said. "I'm a little distracted by you."

Rolling, Edward sprawled over my body and kissed my neck. "Me?" he asked, mocking. "Distracting you? I daresay it's the other way around."

Just as his hand slid up my abdomen and cupped my breast, Jack Johnson could be heard singing a happy song about banana pancakes. Edward groaned and slid back to his side of the blanket, fishing his phone from his pocket.

"Hello?" he answered.

I could hear them shouting from where I was, and laughed. "Daddy! We miss you." The kids began to talk over each other, and I stretched out, trying to find the big dipper and trying desperately to not listen in on his call.

Edward's thumb stroked the sensitive skin on my hand while he talked. His body was still close enough to mine that I felt the vibrations from his chest as he spoke and laughed.

"I'll tell Jake you miss him," he said. I laughed at that.

"Yep, you'll see me Wednesday, Princess. How was school?" There was a pause and I only heard a small, feminine voice. "Well, I'm sure your mother can handle that, but if not, let me know on Wednesday, okay? Hand the phone to your brother, please. I love you, too. Goodnight, doodlebug."

In the brief lull between conversations, Edward squeezed my hand and turned to kiss me.

"Hey. How was your day?" Edward asked, his tone more serious. "Did you get your homework done? _All_ of your homework? Yes, I took Jake for a walk today. Yes, I made sure to give him fresh water. Hey, who's the dad here?"

Edward's side of the conversation got quiet for longer than the span between a single question. When he spoke again, his voice was tight, something unrecognizable to me. "I know, son. I miss you, too. We'll work something out soon. Time for bed now, eh? I love you. See you Wednesday. Bring your mitt!"

After he blew out a huge gust of air, I figured Edward would press end and get on with our date. I wasn't so lucky.

"Hello, Victoria."

Seconds stretched out to minutes as I listened to the shrill voice on the other side go on and on. And on.

"Yes, I'll make sure that happens. Anything else? What? No, I'm not being rude, I just want to get on with my night. I'm sure you have better things to do, too."

A fraction of a second after he stopped talking, he pulled the phone away from his ear and laughed uproariously.

"That bitch hung up on me," he said.

I had no clue what to say.

I finally went with, "I'm sorry?"

When he turned to look at me, I could see the smile still plastered on Edward's face. "What are you sorry for?"

I laughed. "I'm not sure. All womankind?"

"You have nothing to apologize for," he said, taking my face in his hands.

"Do you want me to go? Maybe you need some space…"

"Hell no. I refuse to let her ruin any more of my nights. She's just pissed I didn't allow her to be the center of the universe for once."

Huh.

I turned to face him. "This standing up for yourself thing is recent?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I never realized it before now. I never said 'no' to her for anything. It feels good to not cave to her insane demands."

"Was that how your whole relationship was?"

Edward's eyebrows met in the middle of his forehead. "I guess so. I didn't have time to really become a man on my own. Right out of college, we were engaged and living together. It was the only life I knew."

"And here I am, cramping your bachelor lifestyle. Why are you dating? You should be out fucking hordes of women and sowing your wild oats, man."

I was only half kidding.

His whole body moved closer. "If I have oats to sow, I'm pretty sure there's this woman interested in helping."

Moving my lips to his, I pressed them together. "This is very true." Edward moved above me, his body covering mine. I wrapped my arms around his body, sliding them to his chest. "I'm rather fond of your … oats," I said, reaching lower and cupping.

Edward pushed his body into mine and I lifted my legs, my knees framing his hips, and pulled him closer. He groaned and rotated his hips against mine. Sparks of pleasure and want swirled in my abdomen. The way his leg slid between mine, the rough feeling of fabric and his button-fly against my clit, was driving me insane. I moaned quietly and pushed against his body again.

"You like that?" he asked, nipping at my neck.

"Yeah. Don't stop."

"I love watching you come. So fucking sexy."

The thought that he was watching and paying attention was half-embarrassing and half-hot. I clawed at his shoulders, pulling him onto me harder. I wanted to feel his whole weight pressed along the length of my body. Everything tightened as I came, and I felt like I might fly right out of my body.

"Oh fuck," I squeaked as the pleasure rolled through.

When my muscles went limp, I realized Edward was still sliding against my body, although slower. Our lips met, soft and slow, for several minutes.

"I need to clean up," he said quietly.

"What?" I was confused. It wasn't like my pussy was a faucet, leaking everywhere.

Edward laughed, pulling himself up. "I'm pretty sure you understand biology." He inclined his head down, to his pants.

"Ohmygod. You came?" Suddenly, I was church giggling.

"I told you it was sexy watching you."

"You're ridiculous," I said. "Why don't you go clean up and I'll get the dishes done."

"You don't want to take a shower with me?"

"I do." I stepped closer and put my hand on his chest. "I just also need to get home. I didn't bring any clothes, and if I'm late again, Angela might never let me live it down."

"Always with the practicalities." Edward bent down and kissed me again. "Okay, getting uncomfortable. Be right back." He hobbled away and I laughed the entire walk to the kitchen.

I finished the dishes and put everything back where I thought it went, then wandered to the couch. I was mid-tweet when Edward came in, towel hanging off his hips. Tracing the water droplets down his chest with my eyes, I was rendered stupid.

"Thanks for doing the dishes."

"The least I could do," I mumbled, still staring. I walked to where he was. "So, you have the kids on Wednesday?"

"Yeah. But maybe we can do dinner on Thursday?" he asked, his fingers tangling in my hair as he kissed me again.

"And I'm sure we'll talk before then, right?"

"Of course."

I was struck with the sudden urge to ask Edward if he was going to be busy sowing his oats with anyone else. I didn't though, because I was a pussy.

xx

By Thursday, I was antsy to see Edward again. Sure, we'd talked almost every day and texted frequently, but it wasn't the same. We'd agreed to meet at a restaurant near my place, and I smiled when I spotted his car in the parking lot.

"Hi," he said, wrapping his arms around me just outside the restaurant.

"Hey."

I couldn't help but curl into his embrace. He smelled so good, and I'd had a shitty week; I wanted to stand there all night.

"Ready for dinner?"

"Sure," I said, half-hearted.

Once we were seated, he reached across the table for my hand. "You going to tell me what's wrong?"

"What?" Oh shit. Apparently my mask wasn't on quite as straight as I thought. "I'm fine."

The waitress arrived at just the right moment, and I was grateful. Maybe Edward would forget, and I could readjust my smile. We didn't have plans to see each other again and I didn't want to ruin what little time we had together complaining about my job. And, rationally, it was way too soon to ask him if he was seeing other people.

"Are you ready to tell me what's on your mind?" he asked, looking up at me over his wine glass.

"I've just had a bad week at work."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

I shrugged. "It seemed so silly before. I guess it didn't hit me until the drive over here."

Tears welled up as I thought about Mrs. Cope.

"Remember the day we met?" I asked. He nodded. "I'd been helping Mrs. Cope find the right food for her elderly dog. Well, apparently he got out of the house and was hit by a car. She brought him in and he was just a mess." I shook my head, closing my eyes and wiping my tears.

I took a deep breath to compose myself and realized Edward was next to me when his arms were around me again.

"You should have told me," he said.

"It's not your problem to deal with. I'm not your problem to deal with. You have enough on your plate."

"Shh." His hand made soothing patterns on my back and I took a long drink from my water glass.

Typically, when I had a patient die on me, Alice and I met up after work and drank for several hours. I'd called her and we talked for a bit, but didn't want to cancel my date with Edward. I thought I'd be fine, and we agreed to put off drinking night until Friday.

"You can tell me anything, you know. Think of all the shit I've already told you about my life. No secrets. Unless you're hiding bodies in your basement."

We laughed together and I burrowed into his chest. "No, no bodies. But if we're all about this honesty stuff, can I ask you something that's been on my mind?"

"Of course."

I leaned in again, the soft fabric of his button-up against my cheek. "Are you seeing anyone else?"

When my question was met with silence, I panicked. "I mean, not that it's not okay. It's way too soon to be exclusive, I was just wondering. You know, I just want to set my expectations."

Edward's fingers lifted my chin so I was looking up at him. He had a curious expression, a mixture of disbelief and amusement.

"No, Bella, I'm not seeing anyone else." Our mouths met, a sticky sweet kiss with innocent intent. "Are you?"

"No," I whispered.

It had been the easiest grown-up conversation I'd ever had with a guy.

At my car, I lingered with my hand in Edward's, not wanting the night to end.

"Thank you for dinner," he said.

"It's only fair; you paid for the last few meals, and even cooked for me."

His smile was huge, and could've powered the city. "I can't wait to cook for you again."

"How about if you come to my place Sunday?" I asked. "It's not as big as yours, and certainly not as fancy, but you can pack a bag and stay the night, maybe…"

"That sounds perfect."

xx

Friday night, I stopped at the grocery store on my way home; I needed hard alcohol, ice cream, and brownies. Alice was bringing food of substance, thank god.

By the time she showed up, I'd showered and changed into my wallowing pajamas.

"I brought movies!" she said, opening the door to my apartment without knocking.

I clapped and ran to hug her. "Thanks for being the best."

"Don't get too excited. I plan to spend the entire night telling you all about Jasper."

Jasper was Alice's new boyfriend, and I couldn't wait to hear more about him, and of course, tell her more about Edward.

One of the movies played in the background as we inhaled our Chinese food and wine. We decided to start slow since we had a lot of talking we wanted to do.

_How's girl's night?_

I popped the last of my eggroll into my mouth and typed out a reply to Edward's text.

_Fantastic. How are the kids?_

_Asleep, thank god. Nursing a Manhattan and wishing you were here._

I smiled. _I wish I was, too. _

"Are you even listening?" Alice asked, practically leaping over the couch at me. "That's it. No more phones. I'll text Edward and let him know."

Her fingers flew across the keypad on my phone, and before I could object, it was turned off and set on the kitchen counter.

"So as I was saying, I think I'm in love."

"What?" Well, that certainly stopped me in my tracks. "You've only known him a few weeks. How can you be in love already?"

"I don't know, Bee, I just am."

It seemed so simple to her.

"Do you love Edward?"

"No way," I said. "Not yet. I'm in … deep like."

"I can't exist in that limbo. I'm an all-or-nothing girl, I guess."

True, Alice was fairly extreme in her life. She was balls out. Go big or go home. I liked to play it much safer. Dip my toe, feel the water, then dive in. I was still testing the water with Edward.

"It's easier for you; Jasper is unattached. He doesn't have kids, he's never been married. It's complicated with Edward. I don't want to dive in too fast and get hurt," I said.

"Life is about living. You gotta live a little."

"I need more vodka and less thinking."

In the morning, I fully regretted the vodka, while Alice looked perky as fucking ever. Bitch.

"You sure you're going to be okay?" she asked, handing me aspirin and water.

"Yeah; go be with loverboy. Tell him I expect to meet him soon. Beware."

She laughed and closed up, locking my door behind her. The solitude of the apartment struck me again, and I wished I'd saved enough to get a house since my apartment housing didn't allow for me to have pets.

Once I'd swallowed my pills, I went horizontal again since the room had begun spinning. Maybe I was still drunk. Maybe I shouldn't have let Alice leave, but she seemed completely sober. I didn't even know how that was possible, until I ran through the night in my head and realized she'd never had any vodka at all. Bitch.

I heard the chirp from the other room somewhere around mid-day. Alice must've turned my phone on before she left, but getting out of bed didn't seem like an awesome idea, so I ignored it. When it chirped again, I mustered the strength to get up and answer it; I needed to refill my water, too.

Edward had texted me several times, the very last one asking if I was okay.

_I'm fine, just really hungover. Remind me not to wallow with Alice and vodka again._

I took a shower while waiting for his reply, trying to keep myself upright. I ended up being too woozy and just washed my hair and climbed out. I felt better, but not great. Before I checked my phone, there was a knock at the door. I wrapped my robe tighter around myself, and decided I didn't honestly care if the UPS guy saw me in my robe, so I opened the door without looking through the peephole.

"Edward! What are you doing here?"

"I brought you soup," he said.

A brown bag was awkwardly exchanged between us as I watched the kids flanking him look me up and down. I had no idea how to react or what to do or say.

"Thank you," I finally said. "That was very sweet of you. Would you like to come in?"

Even though I'd invited them, I hoped he would say no; my apartment was still kind of a mess from the night before, and clearly his kids were already evaluating and judging me. Well, as much as a six and eight year old can judge.

"No, we have to run. I'm taking the kids to the movies, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Edward's eyes kept flicking to my lips, and I wanted to kiss him as much as he seemed to want to kiss me, but I didn't know the protocol.

"Well, thanks again," I said. "You're amazing."

"Okay, guys, let's get going."

He turned and the kids began to make their way back to his car. Before they got even three steps away, Edward turned around and gave me a quick kiss. I thought I might have imagined it, it was so fast, and he was already back in line with the kids, but the way my lips tingled told me it had been real.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to my betasauce, TwilightMundi, who is the wind beneath my wings and so much more.**

**I didn't get review replies sent out last chapter; I apologize from the bottom of my dirty heart. I will do my best this chapter, but no promises, as my time has been squeezed lately. Your reviews mean the world to me, and I read and appreciate every single one of them so much.**

**All copyright and trademarked items mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. The remaining content is all mine. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization.**

_xx_

_He turned and the kids began to make their way back to his car. Before they got even three steps away, Edward turned around and gave me a quick kiss. I thought I might have imagined it, it was so fast, and he was already back in line with the kids, but the way my lips tingled told me it had been real._

Before I was back on the couch, he'd texted me.

_I'm going to be thinking about you in that robe the entire time I'm watching a kids' movie._

I laughed as I retrieved a spoon, then sat down and dug in to the soup he'd brought. I scarfed down one of the bowls and put the rest in the fridge, then texted Edward back. I was feeling so much better.

_Perv_

I hoped Edward wasn't the kind of guy that would text during a movie, so I didn't expect an immediate reply. I laid in bed and texted Alice, checking in on how her day with Jasper was going

_Has he proposed yet?_

I rolled over and closed my eyes.

_Wouldn't it be funny if were sisters-in-law someday?_

I looked at Alice's text and tilted my head to the side. What did she even mean?

_Huh?_

My phone rang a moment later.

"Jesus fucking christ, Bella, do you even listen to anything I say to you?"

Um. "Apparently not," I said.

"Jasper and Edward are brothers. How're you feeling?"

"Better about Mitzy, but now super confused about you dating Edward's brother."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"It's just weird. Don't you think?"

"No. I think it'd be fun. We could move in next door to each other and have giant family barbecues."

"Slow down, Alice. I haven't even met his kids, or gotten to know him well enough yet for that kind of talk."

"You don't have to believe it yet, but I just know he's the one for you."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever you say, squirt. You on your way home?"

"Yeah," she said, letting out a deep breath. "Jasper is amazing. I'm going to need a few Advil after that afternoon."

"Too much information, Ali, too much."

Xx

"So, the kids want to meet you."

"What? Why?"

We were sitting outside enjoying the last of the summer heat, sangria in hand.

Edward laughed. "Because they saw me kiss you. I'd told them we were dropping soup off for my sick friends, but Jane asked if I kissed all my friends that way. So, on the way to the movie, I told them we'd been out a few times."

I had no idea what to say, so I focused on keeping my breathing even and not panicking. Sure, I'd dealt with plenty of kids at the office, but these were kids I might potentially be halfway in charge of someday.

"Is that okay?" he asked, pressing his lips to my neck.

"Yeah. I mean, they're your kids," I said as I leaned into him. "I didn't think you'd tell them so soon, but I guess nothing we've done has been slow."

When he laughed, his lips vibrated against my skin, and I wanted to sink right into him.

"Can you come over for dinner Wednesday? Victoria's taking the kids to something and I agreed to switch nights with her this week."

"Sure," I said. "Of course."

And then we distracted each other from our realities in all the ways we were best at.

The next morning, I realized I was starting to sleep better with Edward than I did alone. The idea that I'd already become dependent on him made me feel slightly pathetic. I didn't want to turn into that girl that lost her entire identity when a man paid attention to her; I wanted to stay the strong, independent woman I'd fought so hard to become in my adult years.

As much as I wanted to hold onto my independence, I wanted to hold onto Edward's body even more. I missed him on the nights we were apart, and eagerly anticipated our time together. By Wednesday, even Angela was sick of me. Edward had to work late, so I'd stopped by my place for a few minutes and changed, then grabbed dinner on my way to his house.

He'd left the door unlocked, so I went inside and got everything ready. He still wasn't home by the time I had all the food on plates, and the wine poured. I tried texting him, but there was no response. I got worried. Irrationally worried. I pulled up the traffic websites for the route he took home, and checked the news for dramatic accidents.

Finally, the door opened an hour and a half after when he'd said he thought he'd be home.

"Are you okay?" I asked, throwing my arms around him.

"Yeah, I just got stuck at the office. I told you I'd be late," he said, gripping my hips.

That made me angry.

"You said you'd be an hour late," I said, taking a step back and giving him a look.

Edward looked at the floor.

I knew that look, the scolded puppy, and I softened my voice. "Why didn't you answer any of my texts? I've been worried sick."

"What?" He looked up at me, then grabbed his phone from his briefcase. "I didn't know. It's dead. I forgot to charge it last night, I guess."

It was only then, as he ran his hand through his hair and blew out a deep breath, that I realized how he looked like a shell of himself.

"What's wrong?"

"Aside from the fact that I just spent the last bit of time being unreachable to anyone?" he asked, walking to his phone charger in the kitchen. "Work was awful."

"Do you want to talk about it, or is it something architect-y?"

"Architect-y?" he asked with a little laugh.

I pushed on his shoulder a little and nodded. When I had him in the living room, I backed him into a chair and sat in his lap. "Yeah. Now, spill."

"It's … complicated. Not architect-y, but you might not like it."

My stomach churned. "Is it about me?"

"No, it's about Jasper. And Alice."

Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. We'd talked via text about how funny it was that my best friend was dating his brother, but suddenly it wasn't funny at all.

"What?" I wiggled so I could face him. "What could possibly be going on with them? Alice hasn't texted me to say anything…"

Realization hit me and my stomach twisted more.

"Oh. Alice doesn't know. Oh, shit. Is Jasper done with her? I told her not to jump so fast. Fuck."

"No, it's just … the way they met, the board's worried. Jasper was up-front about everything, thank goodness, but it doesn't look good."

"Wait, I don't even know this story. How _did_ they meet?"

Shit, Alice had probably told me during drunk Friday, but since I wasn't listening, I had no clue what the big deal was.

"I don't know if we should talk about it, honestly. The board hasn't decided what's going to happen."

_What?_ "You can't not tell me!"

"Bella, it's business. I _can_ not tell you. The short version, though, is that they met on the job. The board is worried she'll file a sexual harassment claim."

"Clearly they don't know Alice."

"Well, that's part of it," he said. "The board doesn't know her at all, and it's not personal. They aren't trying to imply anything about her, they just don't know."

"So what's going to happen?" My heart ached for Alice, knowing how much she'd already fallen for Jasper.

"Nothing for now. I think they really just wanted more information, but it took up almost the entire day with meetings and conferences. Poor Jasper. I'd have been humiliated, being forced to give details of my private life like that."

"He must be pretty serious about Alice, to go through all that."

Edward nodded. "Yeah."

We sat in silence, the heaviness of the moment settling over us. Did Edward feel that strongly about me? Was he trying to subtly tell me that he didn't, by saying he'd have been humiliated?

"Dinner smells good. You got Italian?"

He stood up, taking me with him.

"It's probably all cold by now, but yeah." I was grumpy, and convinced dinner was a total loss. Maybe he had some really good, sugary cereal.

"We can heat it up," he said as he smiled down at me.

His lips met mine unexpectedly and I took my first deep breath of the night. We could reheat dinner. Our friends would find their way. One bump in the road didn't mean we'd fallen off the cliff.

"Someone's heating it up, all right…" I mumbled as we walked into the kitchen.

My surprise at his kiss was nothing compared to the surprise when he landed a quick slap on my ass. It wasn't anything but a playful swat, but it made me yelp, then laugh so hard.

"I'll heat it up all night, baby."

I raised an eyebrow, laughing at his cheesiness. "I may take you up on that, later. Right now, I'm starving."

The look he gave me said everything, and I laughed again before putting a plate of lasagna in the microwave.

"Pour the wine, please, loverboy."

We sat on opposite sides of the table, feeding each other bites of gooey, cheesy goodness.

"How was your day?" he asked. "It feels like forever since we've talked."

"It was okay. Nothing interesting."

"Did you always want to be a vet?"

"Yeah, I've always loved animals. I didn't realize how gross it would be, though. Some days I wonder if I made the right choice, like when a pet dies, or if I can't figure out exactly what's going on."

"Sounds stressful. Buildings never feel pain, but budgets do."

His smirk was gorgeous and now that he'd eaten and had some chianti, I could see the color coming back into his face.

"I don't know about you, but I could use a shower. I feel so grubby today for some reason."

"All those dirty thoughts about me all day, perhaps?" he teased.

I laughed, pulling him up from the table. "Yep, has to be that."

Up in the sanctity and privacy of his bathroom, he pulled my clothes off slowly. Edward carefully kissed my skin, then backed away and took his clothes off quickly as the water warmed up. His body pressed against mine, the heat of his skin contrasting with the cool glass behind me.

I worried briefly about the shower not being able to hold our combined weight, but my mind went blank when Edward grabbed my thigh, pulling my leg around his. Our kissing sped up, frantic and full of our swelling need. From the position we were in, he was almost in the right position to enter me, but not quiet. It was exceptionally frustrating, and I bucked my hips against his, leveraging what weight I could on one leg.

"Yeah?" he prodded.

On my tiptoes, I pushed into him again. His hand snaked between us and with his next thrust, the length of his erection slid against me, nudging my clit.

"Yes," I responded. "Yes."

The arm that had been under my thigh moved, Edward's large thumb slipping and sliding over my clit, as he thrust into me. My grip on his shoulders tightened as he picked up his pace. Every experience before had been slow and reverent, and this was fast, hedonistic, pleasure-seeking.

I moaned loudly, the sound echoing around the room, as he worked my body higher. Within several minutes, I was coming and gasping and digging my nails into his skin. My body felt amazing, something about the position we were in, and I couldn't remember another time I felt that good.

I smiled against his shoulder as my leg began to lose feeling, and I wondered how much longer we'd be in that position. As I watched him, the telltale signs of Edward's orgasm washed over him and he stilled inside me. I shivered, the feeling of him still deep in my body, the way our skin was touching at every possible point, and the sexual charge that raced through us both was intoxicating.

"Think there's any hot water left?" he asked against my neck as he lowered my leg.

"Let's hope so."

Under the warm spray, I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on for dear life. Maybe I was PMSing, maybe I was just emotional from hearing about Alice and Jasper, or maybe I just realized I was falling harder for him, but I didn't want anything between us in that moment, not even air.

When we'd gotten clean and dried off, I jumped under the covers. Edward went to his dresser.

"No pajamas," I said.

"I can't help it," he said, sliding into bed beside me. "Sometimes it hit me so hard how different you are from my ex-wife."

"Huh. Good different?"

"Of course. Even before she cheated, things weren't great. Sex was … awkward. Infrequent." He rolled to face me. "You, on the other hand, are insatiable and sexier than anyone I've ever known. You make _me_ insatiable."

Edward kissed me softly, carefully, back to his gentle self I knew.

My fingers wound through his wet hair and my body settled against his. "Well, you have two kids, it couldn't have been too infrequent."

"You'd be surprised."

I was glad things were different between Edward and me. I certainly wasn't ready for whatever we had to end.

Xx

_What do you think about dinner with the kids on Friday?_

I immediately texted Alice. _Call me after your next client. Tell Angela it's an emergency. _

My phone rang almost immediately after I pressed send.

"What's up? You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I just … Edward wants me to have dinner with his kids on Friday."

"And?"

"What do you mean 'and'? It's a huge deal, Alice."

"You're way over-complicating things. You're going to meet them eventually, right? So who cares if it's today or next Thursday or three months from now?"

"I guess."

"No, you know I'm right, you're just nervous his kids won't like you. Trust me, they'll love you. You're fun, even without vodka."

I laughed. "Thanks, Alice. You always know what to say."

_Sounds good. Your place, or out?_

_My place, definitely._ _Can you be here by 6?_

That was earlier than we usually met, but I guessed that made sense, since the kids were gone by the time I got there on Wednesdays and Sundays.

_Sure, see you then. 3_

I smiled and made my way through the week. Edward had been working late and we weren't able to get together on our usual Wednesday, which just made Friday that much more brutal — I wanted to be alone with him. _Alone_ alone. I hadn't even packed an overnight bag, since it was just dinner. I steeled my nerves for a night of kids, and knocked on the door.

Instead of the usual handsome man greeting me, I heard two thunderous sets of feet stampeding my direction. A small girl answered the door and proceeded to stare at me. No greeting, no moving aside to let me in.

"Hello," I said, half-hoping it was loud enough for someone else to hear. "Are you Jane?"

"Yes."

Again, nothing. This little kid was evaluating me hard, and I didn't like it.

"Is your dad home?"

"Yes."

A few more blinks, and then a boy shoved her aside. "Jane, let her in!" He bowed, one arm pressed into his stomach, and I bit my lip to stop from giggling. "Hello, ma'am, I'm Alec."

"So pleased to meet you, Alec. I'm Bella."

He reached out and shook my hand, then led me inside. "She's only six," he said, rolling his eyes. "Dad, Bella's here! Hey, do you play Wii? Or Xbox? Want to race in Mario Kart? I bet I can kick your butt."

"I bet you can," I said. "Why don't you let me go say hello to your father and then I'll play, okay?"

"Okay, see ya!"

Edward was in the kitchen slaving over the stove. He had an apron on and was looking rather delicious as he brought a spoonful of spaghetti sauce to his mouth.

"Yum," I said.

"Hey," he said, turning to me. His entire face lit up when he looked at me, and I felt so instantly at ease and welcome. "It is really good; you want a taste?"

"Not of sauce," I said, smirking. "But I'll settle for that."

"Ready?" Alec said, suddenly at my side.

"Yep, you got it."

I had so much fun playing video games, I forgot about dinner until Edward called us over. He'd been right, the sauce was delicious, and the garlic bread was, too. Jane just stared at me through the whole dinner, almost like she wanted to leap across the table and smack me. It was creepy. Her eyes held an intensity I hadn't seen in someone that small before. It felt like Alec knew he was the tension-breaker, and he kept making jokes and talking.

"Who wants ice cream?" Edward asked, picking up the plates from the table.

For a brief moment, Jane flickered to life, then shrank back. "Not me," she said, leaving the table.

"Jane, get back here! You know you aren't to leave the table until you're excused," Edward said, but it fell on deaf ears.

"None for me either, thanks," I said, grabbing and cleaning up what I could. "I have to head home. I have an early appointment tomorrow."

"Let me walk you to your car. Alec, you can get the ice cream out so it softens, please?"

Edward put his hand in mine, the first sign of affection he'd shown me the entire night. It was understandable, just uncomfortable at the same time, to have to be so hidden.

"Thank you for doing this," he said. "I know it wasn't easy, and I know the kids are in a weird state right now, but I appreciate it. It won't always be like this."

"I know." I smiled and framed his face with my hands. "Thank you for trusting me enough to introduce me to your kids."

We kissed for a minute, and Edward slipped his hands into my back jeans pockets as we held each other.

"Would you like to come to our family lunch tomorrow?"

"I don't know, Edward, I just met them, and I don't want to force my company on them again so soon."

"Well, my whole family would be there. Alice, too, probably."

"Oh, shit." I was sure I'd turned as pale as I felt, my heart suddenly racing.

"Maybe next week?" he asked.

"Next week would be better, I think."

"Don't look so terrified. I promise, they're all lovely."

"I'm sure they are, but..."

He laughed. "It would be nothing like this. My parents and brothers are normal, whereas my kids are … well, much more like Victoria."

"Just… give me a bit to get used to it?"

"Of course," he said, kissing my lips. "Will I see you Sunday night?"

"Try to keep me away."

I smiled and got into my car, giving him a small wave as I drove off. When my phone rang, I laughed.

"How do you do that?" I said in lieu of a greeting.

"Do what?" she asked.

"Know just when to call me."

"I dunno. How'd it go?"

"Terrible," I said, sighing. "I'm pretty sure his daughter hates me. His son just sees me as someone to play with."

"I think that's fairly typical. Remember when I dated Garrett? His kids never really warmed up to me, but we made it work."

"Yeah."

"Anyway, I'm leaving Jasper's for the night. He's in a mood and I don't want to deal with that. What are you up to? Want some company?"

"Sure. See you in a few."

By the time I got home, Alice was already waiting in my apartment.

"Bee, did you know you're out of tampons?"

Jesus.

"Alice, what are you doing in my bathroom?"

"What?" she griped. "I needed one."

"So technically I wasn't out, you used my last one? Thanks, bitch."

"I thought we were synced up?"

I tilted my head to the side.

"We are."

Alice's eyes got wide. "Think again."

"I'm probably just late because of stress or something."

"Oh-kay. Whatever you say. I brought M&Ms and popcorn."

"Well, get that stuff going. I want to get into my yoga pants and we'll do a marathon."

Halfway through _The Holiday_, I turned to Alice on the other love seat.

"Ali?"

"Huh?" she asked, not bothering to peel her eyes from Jude Law.

"What if, you know, I am?"

A few pieces of popcorn landed in her mouth, a few on the sofa. "You're probably not."

"Yeah, but what if I am?"

She turned to me and shrugged, her eyes filled with a strange sadness. "I don't know," she whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Whew. Your reviews were SO passionate. Love it. You guys are amazing. I'd promise to reply to all reviews again, but I'd probably be a liar. Again. I will do my best. **

**Thank you to my beta, TwilightMundi.**

**All copyright and trademarked items mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. The remaining content is all mine. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization.**

_She turned to me and shrugged, her eyes filled with a strange sadness. "I don't know," she whispered._

I double-checked my birth control pill pack. I hadn't missed any, and I couldn't remember taking any at the wrong time. We'd used condoms most of the time, too, hadn't we?

The right thing to do — the smart thing — would have been to grab a pregnancy test on my way home from work the following Monday, when I still hadn't gotten my period.

Of course, that wasn't what I did. I avoided. I pretended. I denied that anything at all was even on my mind.

Except for the moments in the dark, especially Wednesday night when I stayed at Edward's, and I could hear him breathing beside me. I couldn't help but wondering, what if in a few months it's joined by a baby breathing like that?

And, instead of warming me and making me smile, like a normal girl, it freaked me the fuck out. Unlike in the romcoms I'd spent my early twenties watching, when I thought I might be pregnant, it only solidified that it was exactly what I didn't want. I'd never had to contemplate abortion, adoption, living with a baby I was ambivalent about. There were so many grownup things I'd successfully avoided even thinking about, much less ever having to do.

Lunch with the entire Cullen clan was looming over my head, too, and it was taking every moment of effort and energy to not constantly lose my shit. Even poor Angela had resorted to bringing me vanilla bean scones with my Starbucks, which I knew she only did on days of severe desperation. When Wednesday's scones were followed by Thursday's, I dragged her into my office.

"Is it that bad?"

She looked at me curiously. "What do you mean?"

"This is day two of scones and coffee…"

"Oh," she said, laughing. Her cheeks turned pink, and her smile practically went from ear-to-ear. "The barista." She looked down at the floor, a super girly swoony sigh coming from her side of the desk.

"You have the hots for the barista, eh?" I asked, smirking. "That's awesome. Go get him. Just use a condom."

Angela put her head in her hands. "Oh my god, Bella, he barely knows I exist."

A grin overtook my face. "You want me to meet you there tomorrow? I could make sure he knows you exist."

Angela's face went through all the emotions as she spoke. "No! Wait, yes. Maybe? I'll let you know."

"Okay. I can meet you there, or I can go alone and try to do some recon. I'm good at that."

"'I'm sure you are, but for now, it's time to get back to Doctor Bella. Scruffy's up next; meet you in room three."

When a pregnant woman came in along with a toddler and a giant great dane, I watched her tugged in so many directions, and wondered if she felt as frazzled on the inside as she looked on the outside. In the bathroom before I left for the day, I cursed and kicked the trash can when my period was still not on scene.

"So, I don't think I want you to meet me there just yet, but expect more scones in the morning," Angela said as we walked to our cars.

"Okay. Just remember, I can be totally stealth!"

_For a few more months, anyway._

Xx

On the way to Edward's house Friday night, I decided to call Alice.

"Alice, please tell me you're going tomorrow?"

"Of course I am."

In the back of my mind, I was worried the board investigation had snuck in and driven a wedge between Jasper and Alice. Of course, I had no idea if Jasper had even told her about it, or if he ever would.

"Are _you_ going, or will you be pussying out like you did last week?"

"I'm going. Is it as scary as I'm imagining?"

"No way. Their parents are awesome, plus Esme makes real bacon and this fancy baked French toast thing. Divine. Sex in your mouth."

"Well, that's reassuring," I snarked. "It's been forever since I've had sex in my mouth."

"I know, that's how you got into this mess. Speaking of, any signs of shark week?"

"Ugh, no. And we're rapidly approaching the timeline of when I need to talk to Edward."

"Good luck with that," Alice practically sang.

"Thanks, bitch."

"Love you, too. See you at lunch."

Edward's house still intimidated me and I sighed as I pulled in to the circular drive. After I popped my trunk, I shook my head. Jesus, I had a tendency to over pack, but two bags for two nights was a bit much, even for me. I'd rationalized it all, telling myself I needed options. I felt like I needed fewer options as I carried the two apparently brick-filled bags up to the porch.

"You know," Edward said when he answered the door, "you don't have to knock."

He pulled me inside, his arms wrapped securely around my waist, and pinned me to the door behind me.

For a few brief moments, all I could think about was getting him naked. Him getting me naked. Glorious, glorious orgasms. We'd almost made it all the way upstairs before the oven buzzer went off.

"Fuck," I whispered, my voice whiny and full of petulance.

"There's time after dinner."

"Will you take a bath with me?" I asked, peppering kisses along his neck. "After dinner?"

I wanted to be surrounded by bubbles and warm water, and of course, Edward.

"Of course, baby."

We ate our food and I strategically asked for iced tea instead of my usual wine. Edward led me upstairs to the tub I'd seen and lusted after several times. While he had his back to me, I undressed and waited, hands on my hips in what I hoped was a sexy, flirty pose. I'd guessed right, apparently, because when he turned around, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"It still knocks the breath out of me when I look at you."

"You, sir, know exactly what to say," I said, practically falling into his open arms. I looked up at his face. "Have you always been this romantic?"

"I don't know. I don't think so? I've certainly never heard that I was a romantic before you."

"Well, I'm glad I could be your first."

Edward leaned down and kissed me softly, then reached to stop the water in the tub.

"If you want me to get in there with you, I have to get my clothes off."

"Let me," I said, standing up.

I took my time removing his shirt and pants, teasing him as I went. By the time he was naked, I thought for half a second he might just throw me on the bed. I wouldn't have minded that one bit. Ever the gentleman, he slid into the tub and held a hand out to help me in.

"How was your week?" he asked as I settled against his body.

"Long and boring. Yours?"

"Long, but something weird must be going on over at Victoria's; the kids were absolute demons on Wednesday."

"Yeah? They didn't say what was up? Hey, where are they tonight?"

"It's almost never that easy with kids. They want to stay loyal to their mom and not rat her out, at least not yet. I'm sure in their teen years, they'll be telling us all about what's going on at the other one's house. And, it's Victoria's birthday, so they're with her. I'll pick them up from her house tomorrow after lunch."

We sat in the silence with the occasional water splashing as we touched each other, kids and real life worries long ago forgotten.

Xx

I woke up with a pit in my stomach and felt like I might vomit. Was it anxiety or morning sickness? I'd decided to talk to Edward after lunch; he deserved to know. We'd gotten so entangled with each other's lives and I hated to add something more to his plate, but I also didn't want to hold back important information.

"Ready?" Edward asked, nuzzling my neck from behind.

I'd done all I could to get rid of my nausea, and I think I hid it well. My hair and makeup were done, and I looked as cute as I was going to get. "I guess so."

His fingers joined mine and we walked to the car. "It'll be okay, I promise."

I was shocked at how close Edward's parents lived, but then it dawned on me.

"You guys own all this land, don't you?" I asked, pointing as far as we could see in each direction.

"Yep," he said, putting the car in park in front of a house twice as large as his.

Shit. I felt even more unprepared for what I was walking in to, but there was no turning back now.

Edward held my hand during the walk up the drive, looking at the other cars, probably trying to figure out who'd already arrived. He seemed nervous, which actually made me smile. It mattered to him how this went, just like meeting his kids.

The room that greeted us was vast and opulent. Scary.

The woman who greeted us, however, was the complete opposite. In an apron and jeans, Esme Cullen took my outstretched hand and pulled me into the biggest bear hug ever.

"Bella, it's so lovely to meet you. We've heard so much about you, and of course, we know your father."

"You do?" I asked, the air still being squeezed out from my body.

Esme let go and stood back a step. "Of course, dear. We're very involved in the local community and he's been Chief of Police forever."

I tried to ignore the stabbing pain in my chest. This virtual stranger had probably talked to my father more in the last year than I had. Maybe she'd talked to him more in the last year than I'd talked to him in the last ten years, that's how long it had been since we'd lost touch. It wasn't entirely accurate to say we'd lost touch, either; he'd tried to stay in contact with me after my parents split, but I was a child and Renee never enforced any visitation or time for us to talk. By the time I was a teenager, we just didn't have a connection. I looked at Esme, wondering what my father must look like, how he'd changed. How I'd changed.

Tears welled in my eyes and I quickly swiped them away, trying to be discreet when Edward and Esme had walked ahead to bring us into the house.

"Carlisle, Bella and Edward are here," Esme called out.

An older version of Edward stepped from another room in a sweater vest and slacks, and I shook his hand. "It's lovely to meet you, Bella."

"Thank you, Carlisle. It was so kind of you to invite me to your home."

He smiled quickly, then excused himself back into what I assumed was his office.

Esme left to finish up the last details of lunch and Edward wrapped an arm around my waist as he introduced me to his brothers, Jasper and Emmett, and Rosalie, Emmett's wife.

"Don't mind her," Edward whispered into my ear as we sat on the couch, after Rosalie had given me a seriously bitchy once-over. "She's on hormones to get pregnant, so she's a little crazy right now."

Everyone had a mimosa or flute of orange juice in their hands, and the mood in the room was awkward but not uncomfortable.

"Everything's ready," Esme said, right as the doorbell rang.

"Want me to get it, Mom?" Emmett asked.

"No thanks, dear. Just go grab your father and sit down, I'll get the door."

We arranged ourselves at the table, leaving space for Esme and Carlisle, and just as I'd settled into my chair and done a once-over of the food, I heard kids. Edward's kids.

"Well, you know, you _said_ if I ever wanted to come over, I was welcome…"

And then she burst into the room, a presence larger than any home could contain: Victoria.

It was almost comical — almost — how different she was from how I'd imagined her. Loud, obnoxious, demanding to be the center-of-attention at all times.

Without acknowledging any of the new people present, Victoria grabbed a chair and wedged her way between Edward and Jasper.

"Where's James?" Edward asked, his jaw visibly clenched.

"Home," Victoria said, grabbing a sandwich half. "Kids, sit down and eat."

They both ignored her, screaming and running to another room as she shrugged and laughed.

Esme, who was sitting next to me, whispered, "Oh, for heaven's sake…" and then looked over at Edward, mouthing an apology. I turned and watched Edward smile at her.

It seemed obvious from these small interactions that Edward's parents didn't care for Victoria, which made me wonder even more why they'd gotten married. Maybe she hadn't always been a vicious hag.

"So, I just wanted to let the whole family know…" she said, looking around the table. "I'm pregnant."

Nope, she'd clearly always been a vicious hag. These were not the tricks of a newbie.

"Congratulations?" Carlisle said awkwardly, looking at Esme.

"That certainly is unexpected news," Esme said. "When are you due?"

I felt dizzy, blind-sided, and I couldn't even begin to think about how Edward felt. When his hand squeezed mine, I knew I must've been showing on my face just how upset I was, and I took a deep breath to pull myself together. There was no way I could talk to him about my potential pregnancy that night. I needed to be sure I was, or wasn't, and then I could figure it all out.

When I focused back on the people around me, Rose had just gotten up and set her napkin down. "I apologize, Esme and Carlisle, I need to be excused."

She stood up from her seat, tall and proud, but her face as she'd turned to walk away showed all of her hurt and anger. As shitty as I felt, I couldn't imagine being her right then. Emmett was louder as he got up, glaring at Victoria before following his wife.

"Alec! Jane!" Victoria shouted, staying comfortably seated. "Come sit down and eat!"

Her voice was piercing and I squinted as she yelled for the kids, an involuntary reaction to the noise. The kids listened, finally, running in and sitting down in the emptied seats. Alice kicked me under the table and when I looked at her for an explanation, she mouthed "oh my god," and shook her head. I tried to agree with her silently, not wanting to rock the boat at all.

Jane got up from her chair and wound her arms around Esme's neck, giving her a sweet snuggle. The sight almost made me forget the drama going on around us.

Jane looked right at me, and in her small, sweet, little girl voice, asked, "Grammy, what's a slut?"

Victoria giggled in her chair and Esme went white as a ghost.

"Young lady, that's a word we don't use in this house. Where in the world did you hear such a thing?"

Carlisle was so naive, it was almost adorable. Almost.

Every person at the table saw the exchange of looks between Jane and Victoria, but no one dared to say a word.

"Schoooooool," Jane said, giving her mom and exaggerated wink.

The art of subtlety and subterfuge was clearly lost on kids.

"Well, wherever you heard it," Esme said. "It's not okay to repeat it. Please don't use language like that again."

"Okay, Grammy. I love you."

The way the two of them looked at each other, you could tell it was the best kind of relationship, and I was even more angry at Victoria for trying to use her daughter against me, but especially because Edward seemed to just be sitting there.

I couldn't stay in this situation a minute longer, knowing that I'd say something I'd regret if I didn't leave right now.

"Esme, this was a lovely lunch. I'm sorry, but I have to run," I said, standing.

Esme and Carlisle stood up, and Edward followed behind me, clearly confused, as I grabbed my purse from the foyer.

"Where are you going, Bella?" Edward asked, sounding frantic as he tried to catch up to me.

"Edward, are you blind and deaf?"

He looked entirely clueless. "I'm not connecting some dots. Help me."

"Your kid looked right at me and basically called me a slut, then looked at her mother for approval."

"What?" he asked, shaking his head. "She said she heard it at school."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, Edward. If you really believe that, then I don't know what I'm doing here at all."

Just then, Alice walked into the room and nodded toward the driveway with her head. Thank God for Alice.

"I'm confused; don't leave, Bella, please. Why would she do that? She's married, and pregnant for fuck's sake." He was talking more to himself than me, making animated gestures with his hands.

"Edward, you're trying to find logic in a situation that's ruled by emotion. Who knows why she's doing any of it. Maybe she's not even pregnant," I said, mentally running my hands over my own belly. "All I know is, I don't deserve to be ambushed at lunch with my boyfriend and his family. If she thinks she can get away with things like this, she'll only keep doing it. If you're not willing to deal with it, I'll just remove myself from this situation."

"Let me make it right," he said, pulling my body closer to his. "I love you. Let me fix this."

Hearing the words almost knocked me over. I was glad his hands were around my waist, needing the support as I felt woozy. He looked so panic-stricken and lost. Confused, but hopeful.

He couldn't say he loved me, not when I was hiding such a huge thing from him. Like a tidal wave of nausea, the words came out beyond my control.

"I might be pregnant," I said, my knees going weak. "What are we going to do?"

"Lean on me," he said, wiping my tears. "Let me hold you up. We can handle everything together, I promise, we just need a plan."

I rested my head on his shoulder and when his arms gripped me tighter, I let my body go slack against his. "I can help, baby, you just have to talk to me." He whispered, kissing the top of my head and rubbing my back in a soothing motion. "Whatever happens, we'll be okay."

"Can we just go?" I asked through my shaky sobs.

"Of course. I'll just tell my parents that I'll pick the kids up later. I'll be right back."

He walked quickly to the dining room. By the time I'd taken a few deep breaths, he was back, and leaned down and kissed me carefully. "You ready?"

"Yeah."

We walked outside and Jasper and Alice were, predictably, leaning against her car making out. She must've spotted me from the corner of her eye because she ran over to me.

"You okay?" she asked, hugging me.

"Yeah. No, I mean, I will be," I said, squeezing her and not letting go. "I told him."

"Well, welcome to being a grownup. I'm proud of you." Alice pulled back and looked at me before letting go. "Talk to you later?"

I nodded and turned, walking to Edward's car where he waited. When he didn't drive straight to my house or his, I got worried.

"Where are we going?"

"Pharmacy. We need to figure this out one step at a time, and that's the fastest problem we can potentially solve."

"Can I wait in the car?" I asked, my voice almost a whisper.

He laughed. "Sure, but you better be ready to pee by the time we get home. I'll grab you a bottle of water."

Three minutes seems like a short amount of time, except when you know those three minutes stand between you and your fate.

"What are you thinking?" I asked as I laid next to Edward in his bed.

He turned to me and smiled. "I'm thinking about what it would be like for you to have my baby." His hand skimmed the surface of my belly through my pants, and I shivered. "What are you thinking about?"

"I can't even think. I'm just too scared."

Before, I'd been scared the test would be positive. Watching Edward touch my body, seeing the reverence and love and respect in his eyes, things began to blur. I wasn't as sure as I'd been before.

"Are you scared it'll be positive?"

"I'm scared of both," I said. It was the truth, the whole truth, and even just thinking it made me more scared.

"Either way, it'll be fine, you know. You can get fat and happy and bring a life into this, or you can decide you don't want that and throw the booziest party if it's negative, or if it's positive and you decide it's not what you want…"

It was easier to leave those options unspoken, even _I_ knew that.

Between us, our fingers laced. I squeezed Edward's hand, letting him know I understood, saying what I couldn't.

When his phone timer went off, we both bolted upright.

"Ready?" he asked.

"No."

"Do you want to wait another minute? I don't think that will affect the test too much, but we can't wait long."

"No, I don't want to wait. Just …" I turned to look at him on the bed, crisp slacks and dark socks and button up shirt, and so fucking sincere. "Just promise me that you'll be honest, whatever we find out. I want to make a decision together, not based on a single test, but based on how we feel about each other."

"I like that plan," he said, pulling me onto his lap. His fingers teased my hair, pushing the strands out of my face.

After a few more kisses, I felt like I could breathe again. "I'm ready."

I'd left the test face up on the counter and Edward pushed the door open. Both our eyes landed on the test, and I was a confusing mix of emotions when I saw the minus sign. I was relieved, but disappointed. I was elated, but a little bit sad. I turned to look at Edward.

"I'm glad we can make the decision in our own time, our own way, someday," he said, pulling me into his side.

"Me too," I said, feeling the hot tears slip down my cheeks.

"Do you want to come with me to pick the kids up, or head back to your place? I'd love it if you stayed the weekend. You certainly packed enough clothes," he said, tickling me lightly.

"I want to stay."

In another surprising first, I wanted to find out more about Edward's little family and how it worked. I needed to figure it out and stop avoiding, if I was going to be around for longer than another weekend.

"Okay, let's go grab Alec and Jane, and maybe we can get some ice cream on the way back."

I smiled and narrowly avoiding swooning at him. "That sounds perfect."

Xx

By Sunday, I was ready for my own space again. It had been interesting, balancing my usual time with Edward and forcing us to put our sexual explorations on the back burner. It was actually really lovely to play with Alec and talk to him, and I could see Jane coming around to my side. I'd tried to be fair with her, rationalized that her mother had been pulling the strings behind the slut incident, and I'd consciously tried to not do the same thing. I didn't want her to like me because I bought her things or took her places; I wanted her to like me because I was a nice person.

"One last game, kiddo," I said to Alec as I picked up the Wii-mote.

Jake laid between us, panting from a game of catch we'd just had outside.

"Miss Bella?" he asked, swinging his arm to hit the virtual tennis ball.

"Mmhmm?"

"Are you gonna have my Dad's baby?"

"No, I don't think so. Not anytime soon at least."

Poor kid was probably worried everyone would forget about him soon. I swung and lobbed the ball back to him.

"Are you gonna marry him? He smiles a lot more when you're around."

My arm dropped and I blinked furiously.

"He does?" I asked, wanting more.

"Yeah. Oooh, I beat you again!"

Alec did a victory dance, startling Jake, and all I could do was laugh at them together.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for your love last chapter. I've had a hilarious avalanche of real life collapsing on me (sometimes literally) in the last week. I'm just trying to keep my head above water, so I appreciate your patience.**

**Thank you to my beta, TwilightMundi, who never yells at me no matter how many mistakes I make, nor how late in the day I send her a chapter, begging for her beautiful eyes to grace my pages.**

**All copyright and trademarked items mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. The remaining content is all mine. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization.**

* * *

"_He does?" I asked, wanting more._

"_Yeah. Oooh, I beat you again!"_

_Alec did a victory dance, startling Jake, and all I could do was laugh at them together. _

I was nervous, knowing Victoria was going to show up at any minute to pick the kids up.

"You have everything?" Edward asked Jane.

Jane nodded, then curled up with the dog. "I wish we could take Jake home."

Edward's face crumpled. "This is still your home, too, you know," he said, sitting next to them.

"Sort of," Jane said, rolling her eyes.

"You know Mom would never let us have a dog," Alec interrupted. "Especially not now with a baby." He threw himself onto the couch, full of drama as he sighed.

Edward ruffled his hair. "Sorry, kiddo. You know Jake is here for you, and so am I."

It was awkward to be on the outside of the whole conversation, watching them have this moment but not participating. The doorbell interrupted my thoughts, and everything was washed over with a sense of dread at their impending departure.

"Do we have to go, Dad?" I heard Alec ask quietly, as Jane ran for the door.

I wondered if it was normal for little boys to want to cling to their dads, while girls stuck with Mom. I never had a choice, never knew my dad, but living with Renee had certainly been interesting.

"Come on, Alec. Time to go home." The pierce of Victoria's loud, nasal voice stabbed at my skull.

"Go on and get buckled in to the car," Edward said, giving Alec one last hug and sending him out the door.

"Victoria, I would appreciate if you could not refer to your house as their home. This is their home, too."

"Oh, whatever," she said. When she rolled her eyes, I wanted to slap her.

"I'm serious," he said, standing his ground. "And if you ever, and I mean _ever_ try to undermine Bella again, I will take you back to court. I will cut your support at the knees. I'll file for full custody."

"You wouldn't," she said, gasping.

"Try me."

Edward stood his ground, his eyes never leaving hers, and in that moment, I knew he was completely and entirely over her. I also suspected she was _not_ completely and entirely over him; the way her eyes welled with tears and the slope of her shoulders in defeat… I suspected there was still something there, and that was what prompted Victoria's lashing out.

Well, that was just tough shit for her. Had she been a worthy adversary, I might have backed down and tried to glue their family back together, but this woman was just a bitch. She'd taken advantage of Edward for years. She was just vile. And who knew how long she'd stay with him, if I backed away; maybe she was just one of those women that wanted what they couldn't have.

Without another word, Victoria turned and left, slamming the door behind her.

Edward was looking at me curiously, and I realized I probably had a predatory gleam in my eye.

"That was fucking hot."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I think you're fucking hot."

He approached where I was standing near the staircase, and pulled my shirt off.

"God, I've never wanted them to leave so bad," he said, his wet lips worshiping the exposed slope of my breasts.

I felt exactly the same.

Fumbling with his button-fly, I managed to get his jeans undone and down in near record time. As I kneeled in front of his boxers, I looked up and smiled. This was going to be fun.

"No way." He shook his head and hooked his hands under my elbows, pulling me up. "We're taking this to the bedroom."

I laughed and chased after him, both of us walking quickly to the privacy and comfort of his room.

"Have I ever told you how much I love your bedroom?"

"Have I ever told you how much I love you in my bedroom?" he countered.

I didn't have time or brain power to counter with any cheesy lines, so I just closed my eyes and let his arms surround me. His mouth and teeth played at the edges of my bra, tracing lines and patterns as his fingers worked the clasp at the back. When my bra was gone, his lips and tongue surrounded my nipple and pulled, causing me to moan.

"You like that, baby?"

"Yeah," I whispered.

"I'm just getting started."

God, I loved Sunday afternoons.

We backed up to the bed and he pulled my skirt off in one move. "I can't wait to watch you come."

My toes curled in anticipation as I slid up onto the bed. I lifted my hips when his hands surrounded them, tugging on my lacey purple panties.

"Show me," he said, his lips moving to the place where my leg met my body. He licked the seam of my leg, nipping at the top, then the swell of my belly. "Show me how you touch yourself when I'm not there."

I was suddenly transported to that time a million years ago when Mike had asked me to do the same. It took me right out of the moment, but I went through the robotic motions in much the same way I had with Mike, watching Edward and doing my best to make it look as porny as possible.

When I noticed he was laughing, I stopped.

"Hey," I said, pouting. I stopped what I was doing and reached for the blanket to cover myself, suddenly self-conscious.

"Bella, do you think I can't tell when you're just patronizing me, versus really turned on?"

Well, yeah, actually, I did think that.

"Like, for example," he said, his nude body moving to cover mine as he pushed the blanket back to the side. "When I touch you right here, feather light, you close your eyes. Every single time."

The tips of his fingers were stroking gently over my clit, and he was right, my eyes had closed.

"Or the way your breathing speeds up, the way your breasts move and bounce when you're really into it." He pinched my nipple and I gasped, my hips arching against his hand. "Or that when you're genuinely turned on and my fingers slide inside you, you push harder against them. Always such a beautiful, greedy girl. One of the things I love most about you."

He was careful but forceful as his fingers fucked me, pulling out slowly and thrusting in, making me squirm and moan.

"Do you think you were remotely this wet when I began?" he asked, his lips on my neck.

His fingers left my body and slicked along my nipple, painting me, followed closely by his mouth. When he kissed me again, I could taste myself faintly, and it wasn't gross like it had been when other guys had done it; it was an act of trust and intensity.

"I want to watch you make yourself come. Make it real this time. Trust me. Open your legs, show me your body, let me _see_ you."

What he was asking for felt so intimate. So much more intimate than anything we'd done.

"I… I don't know if I can."

"You can, sweetheart. You can trust me. I want to watch before I make you come myself. Don't you want me to do that?"

"Yes."

"Good, then do this for me. I'll let you pick which part of my body you come on."

That was an offer I couldn't pass up. Not that Edward had denied me any part of himself before, but there was something extra sexy about him letting me decide and take control.

"Can I watch you sometime?"

"Hell yeah."

"Okay," I said, looking at him.

His eyes went wide and he smiled like a kid in a candy store. After one more kiss, he slid to the side, eyeing me hungrily.

I took a deep breath and slid my hand down to my pussy. At first, I rubbed slow concentrated circles over my clit. Before long, though, I reached lower, dipping the tips of my fingers inside as the heel of my palm pressed down at just the right angle. My eyes were closed so I didn't see Edward before I felt him, his lips wrapped around my nipple again. His tongue snaked out, flicking quickly over the hard tip.

He tilted his head, turning and resting it against my chest so he could watch me, as his mouth continued to lave attention on my breast. My whole lower body tensed and a few seconds later, I came hard against my hand. As my arm slowed and my breathing returned to normal, a smile spread across my face.

"Was that more what you wanted?"

His body surrounded me in an instant, his elbows at my ears as he kissed me hard. "Fuck, that was hot." His cock was heavy against my thigh as he slid his body up and down against mine. "Please tell me how you want to come. I need to be inside you. Soon."

Flexing my hips, I pushed my body against his, teasing. "I need that, too."

With much less finesse than with his fingers earlier, he pushed into me roughly. A strangled sound of pleasure came from my throat and I reached up to meet his every movement. Drowning in pleasure, I kept up with him as he chased after his orgasm. I'd never come from penetrative sex, but it felt so good.

Edward moved up to his knees, pulling my legs apart and thrusting deeper and faster. One of his hands moved down to where we were joined, touching my furiously. My orgasm hit me like a ton of bricks, fast and furious, and loud. Really loud.

When he came, I paid attention to his face and body, trying to memorize the way he looked and his body responded, as he clearly had with me. He collapsed partially onto me, our bodies a sweaty pile of bliss.

I woke up a few minutes later to him stroking my face.

"Sorry; I wanted to let you keep sleeping, but I'm starving. You want to shower and grab something to eat?"

"Yeah," I said, stretching and curling into him.

It had been the perfect way to close the crazy weekend.

Xx

A few weeks later, I was driving to Edward's on a Friday night and my phone kept buzzing in my purse. At a red light, I fished it out and called Alice back after seeing all her missed calls.

"Girls night?" she said in lieu of an answer.

I could tell from the way her voice was scratchy that she'd been crying. "You okay?"

"No."

"Jasper?"

"Yeah."

"I just need a quick shower. I'll be at your place in a about an hour, okay?"

"'Kay."

I hung up and drove a little faster to my house. I needed to pack a different bag than the one I usually took to Edward's, and I had to call and cancel my weekend with him. On the way to Alice's house, I called and made sure there wasn't anything she needed me to bring. Although she said there wasn't, I still stopped for ice cream, frosting, cookies, and vodka. I knew from the tone of her voice that wine wouldn't cut it.

I didn't bother with knocking, I just let myself in and put the ice cream in the freezer. I found Alice in her bed, curled almost into a ball.

"Hey," I said, crawling in behind her. I spooned up and got comfortable. "Tell me all about it."

She turned to face me. Her eyes were red and puffy and she looked so fucking sad. "You know how Jasper was being kind of an ass the other day?"

I thought back to the night a few weeks before.

"Yeah."

"He thinks we should take a break."

"What an idiot. Why?"

Alice started to tell me all about how they'd met: the company had hired a few massage therapists from the place she worked. Nothing improper happened during Jasper's massage, but he'd called her later and asked her out. While face-down and enjoying her hands, they'd had time to talk and get to know each other, apparently, and Jasper wanted to know more.

Thing had moved so fast, though, that Jasper's dad, Carlisle, had pulled him aside, giving him a warning. It wasn't that Jasper was worried about Alice, he'd assured her, but that he had to finish a huge project at work that required his entire focus — and he felt like he had something to prove to his father. Jasper was working late nights, and they'd planned a weekend away the upcoming Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and he decided he couldn't go.

Alice had been so certain of everything between them, she was blindsided by his pulling back.

"Well, honey, did he say you should take a break, or did he say he needed to focus on work for a bit?"

"Isn't it the same thing?"

I wanted to tell her it wasn't even remotely the same, but I bit my tongue.

"I know it feels like it, but it's really not. I'm sure he still has feelings for you, Al, and it must be killing him to have to break your plans."

"Then why did he?"

"You know why," I said, tugging her up into a sitting position. "We're not in crisis mourn mode, you're just in a holding pattern."

"I don't want to be in a holding pattern."

"I know you don't. Did he tell you about the board inquiry?"

"No. What are you talking about?"

Ugh. I'd stepped in it, bringing up the board, which I wasn't supposed to know about.

"I'm sure he was just trying not to worry you, but I guess the board was asking him a ton of questions about your relationship. He's probably stepping back to make sure nothing permanent comes between you guys. Proving to them that he hasn't lost his focus on his role at the company."

"It's not fair that they get to control his life. It's his personal life, it has nothing to do with work," she argued.

"I know that, and you know that, but they didn't know that. Now they do," I said. "I'm sure he's just being cautious. Did he say when this job will be complete?"

"No," she said, her lip quivering. "What if it's weeks or months?"

"You two need to talk more, that's for sure. But, I have a feeling you need to just give him some space for right now. If everyone's coming down on him, the board, his dad, his brothers, he doesn't need you adding to it."

Operation Distract Alice was on, and I knew it was going to be no easy feat.

By Tuesday, I'd spent every night at her house and was a little frustrated about potentially not seeing Edward on Wednesday. I made sure it was okay with both of them, then made plans for the three of us to have dinner so I could at least see him for a few hours.

Alice showed up before Edward and we got seated. I noticed she was checking her phone repeatedly, like she was waiting for a text.

"What's up, techno girl? I don't think you've touched your phone this much in the last five years."

"Jasper texted me this morning," she said, clearly trying to fight a smile.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"And…"

"He said he missed me. I wrote him back and asked how his week was going, but he hasn't replied yet. If he misses me so fucking much, why is he ignoring me?"

"Honey, if he's working as much as he says he is, he probably doesn't have time to check his phone often. I'm sure he'll reply, but probably at like, two in the morning."

She laughed and Edward showed up just then.

"Ladies," he said, scooting into the booth next to me.

"Hey!" I pulled him closer for a kiss. "Miss you."

Alice groaned from across the table, more playful than serious, but we broke apart and looked at the menu. Once we all had our drinks, Edward raised his glass.

"To two of the most fantastic women around."

The glass touched, a delicate sound, and I smiled.

"And the most handsome man," I added.

"Hey," Alice said, protesting.

"Your man can be second most handsome."

"He's not my man," Alice grumbled.

I kicked her under the table — not a hard kick, mind you. "Sure he is, dork. He's just your man focused hard on work."

"You know when I'm the lead on a project, you'll have to keep Bella company," Edward said. "It's really good for his career that he has this. He's going to prove himself with this building. He needed that."

"Yeah?" Alice asked, her face softening.

"Yeah."

I loved watching them interact, my best friend and my boyfriend. It was my worlds colliding, and I couldn't have been happier.

"How's Victoria?" I asked Edward, disdain dripping in every word.

"Bitchy as ever."

"How'd you fall in love with her, anyway?" Alice asked. "She seems like such an uptight diva."

Edward laughed. "She is. Almost always has been. I was fooled by the person she was outside of the social functions. She was so sweet at times, so interested in me, and she wasn't always this bad."

"Do you think she wants you back? It seems so weird, she has James and now she's knocked up, but what's her deal with Bella?"

I was glad Alice had the balls to ask the questions that had haunted me.

"No, I don't think she wants me back at all, she just doesn't like seeing me happy with someone else. She especially doesn't like the idea of someone else upstaging her as a mom."

"That's insane," I said, interjecting. "I don't want to upstage her!"

"I know," Edward said, squeezing my hand. "But that doesn't matter to her. The kids talk about it, and they talk about you favorably. That gets under her skin."

"Well, there's not a damn thing you can do about that," Alice said. "Those kids are bound to fall in love with you and she just has to deal with it."

"That's exactly how I feel," Edward said, smiling.

Xx

"So, will I see you Sunday? I told Alice she has to share."

I'd called Edward on my drive from work to Alice's on Thursday.

"Of course. I can't wait to see you. Naked."

"Don't get your hopes up, mister. I'm going in for my IUD insertion on Friday after work. I don't know if I'll be ready for any naked action."

"What made you pick an IUD?" he asked, and I imagined him settling back on his couch. I knew he was at home already.

"It's the most effective long-term option, plus some women stop getting their periods; that'd be a nice bonus."

"Yeah? Have you decided not to do anything too permanent?"

Edward and I had talked about different options; the pill, or getting my tubes tied, etc.

"Yeah. I'm just not one-hundred percent certain, you know?"

"Yeah," he said, and I could hear his smile. "Do you want me to go with you? I could meet you there?"

"Naw. I'll be fine. Alice will pick me up and we'll go back to her place."

"It feels wrong not being there with you," he said quietly. "Are you sure I can't go and hold your hand?"

I really did want him there.

"Let me see how Alice is doing, okay? I'll let you know."

"Okay."

"How are the kids this week?"

"Good. Getting excited for summer break."

"Oh, I forgot that was coming up."

Something I'd never had to deal with as an adult.

"I was thinking maybe we'd take them to Disneyland. What do you think about that?"

I smiled. "That sounds amazingly fun. Will Victoria agree to that?"

Edward exhaled loudly. "It'll take some convincing, but I think I can convince her. She has to give me the time with them, it's just taking them out of state she won't like."

"Well, keep me posted. I'm here at Alice's. I'll talk to you later?"

"Bye, Bella. Love you."

Xx

"Al, you know I can't stay here forever, right?"

"Yeah, I know, Bee. Thanks for being such a great friend."

"What do you think if Edward meets me at my doctor on Friday, and he can drive me over here? Help get me settled?"

"You'll stay the weekend?"

"Yeah. I'm all yours through Sunday."

She looked at me from across the sofa. "You sure you don't want me to go with you? He's a keeper, huh?"

"He is. And yeah, I think we can handle it. I want him to be the one that goes."

Alice's smile was the biggest I'd seen it since the weekend before. "I'm happy for you."

Of course, a few tears leaked out after that, and I shifted from being ecstatic to comforting Alice and reminding her it was just temporary. Jasper would be done with his project and back in her bed soon enough.

I texted Edward from bed once Alice was asleep beside me.

_Can you still make it Friday? 4:30?_

I thought about all the options again, and about how I knew Edward was glad I hadn't picked something more permanent.

_Absolutely. Just give me the address and I'll be there._

I texted him back with the info and fell asleep with a smile.

Friday, I tried not to be nervous. It was a simple procedure, nothing terrible. Still, I worried. Angela kept chattering about Ben, her barista boy, and how things were going with them, and I was glad it kept my mind off things.

Edward had agreed to pick me up from the pet store and take me to the doctor, then to pick me up on Sunday from Alice's once the kids were gone, and to take me to work on Monday morning.

"Bella," Angela called from the front desk as I was checking Pinterest. "Edward's here."

"Coming!"

I grabbed my things and ran out, giving Ang a hug on the way.

"See you Monday," she said. "Bye, Edward!"

"Are you nervous?" he asked on the drive.

"Yeah, a little."

He squeezed my hand in his.

On the table, knees up and spread, my anxiety grew and grew.

"Okay, Bella, this should be pretty easy," Doctor Gerandy said from between my thighs. "You'll feel a quick pinch and it'll be uncomfortable for a minute. I'm sorry."

I nodded at him and he got to work. Edward sat at my head, smoothing my hair and kissing my hand. "You okay?" he whispered.

"It hurts," I said. I squeezed my eyes closed and tried to focus on anything but the pain. I reminded myself not to kick Doctor G.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Edward said.

"Almost done, Bella," Doctor Gerandy said. "You're doing great."

A tear escaped, and it seemed like once one of them was out, a whole mob chased it. By the time I was finished, I was quietly sobbing.

"I'll give you two a minute," the doctor said, then left with the nurse.

"I'll be okay," I said. "I'm just having a moment."

"It's okay. Take as much time as you need," Edward said, rubbing soothing circles on my back as I rested in his arms. "It's okay…"

"I love you so much. You take such good care of me, and you're an amazing dad. How did I ever get so lucky to land you?"

It was a thought that had run through my head numerous times in the last few weeks, especially with the Jasper and Alice thing.

"I'm the lucky one. I have two kids and a crazy ex."

I thought back to Victoria showing up to pick the kids up two weeks ago, and throwing up in the bushes just outside the door.

"You _do_ have a crazy ex," I said, laughing lightly.

"But speaking of, I got her to agree to Disneyland. I think this pregnancy is really wearing on her."

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't be surprised if she was carrying the spawn of Satan."

We laughed and I winced in pain.

"You ready to stand up?"

"Yeah," I said. "Let's get out of here. I have ice cream to eat with Alice and a vacation to plan with my amazing boyfriend and his adorable kids."

"Usually adorable," Edward said, helping me sit up, then stand.

"Truth," I repeated, my eyebrows lifting as I looked at him. "But I do love you. I hope you know that. I know I haven't said it before now, I just…"

"It doesn't matter when or how you say it, Bella. It matters that every day, you show me. And you do."

I wanted to bottle up the feelings between us, so much uncertainty running through my head about if they would last forever, or even another month. All I could do was hope and have faith.


End file.
